Corporate Credit Unions, 73000-73014 [2010-29546]
Download as PDF
73000
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
Vol. 75, No. 228
Monday, November 29, 2010
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains notices to the public of the proposed
issuance of rules and regulations. The
purpose of these notices is to give interested
persons an opportunity to participate in the
rule making prior to the adoption of the final
rules.
NATIONAL CREDIT UNION
ADMINISTRATION
12 CFR Parts 701, 704, and 741
RIN 3133–AD74
Corporate Credit Unions
National Credit Union
Administration.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
NCUA is issuing proposed
amendments to its rule governing
corporate credit unions (corporates).
The amendments include internal
control and reporting requirements for
corporates similar to those required for
banks under the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. The amendments require each
corporate to establish an enterprisewide risk management committee
staffed with at least one risk
management expert. The amendments
provide for the equitable sharing of
Temporary Corporate Credit Union
Stabilization Fund (TCCUSF) expenses
among all members of corporates,
including both credit union and
noncredit union members. The
amendments increase the transparency
of decision-making by requiring that
corporates conduct all board of director
votes as recorded votes and include the
votes of individual directors in the
meeting minutes. The amendments
permit corporates to charge their
members reasonable one-time or
periodic membership fees as necessary
to facilitate retained earnings growth.
For senior corporate executives who are
dual employees of corporate credit
union service organizations (CUSOs),
the amendments require disclosure of
certain compensation received from the
corporate CUSO. In addition, this
proposal would amend our regulations
to limit natural person credit unions
(NPCUs) to membership in one
corporate credit union at any particular
time and provide that a natural person
credit union may not make any
investment in a corporate credit union
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
of which the natural person credit union
is not also a member. These proposed
amendments will further strengthen
individual corporates and the corporate
system as a whole.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before December 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods (Please
send comments by one method only):
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
NCUA Web site: https://www.ncua.
gov/Resources/RegulationsOpinions
Laws/ProposedRegulations.aspx. Follow
the instructions for submitting
comments.
E-mail: Address to
regcomments@ncua.gov. Include ‘‘[Your
name] Comments on ‘Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking for Part 704—
Corporate Credit Unions’ ’’ in the e-mail
subject line.
Fax: (703) 518–6319. Use the subject
line described above for e-mail.
Mail: Address to Mary Rupp,
Secretary of the Board, National Credit
Union Administration, 1775 Duke
Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314–
3428.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as mail
address.
Public Inspection: All public
comments are available on the agency’s
Web site at https://www.ncua.gov/
Resources/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/
ProposedRegulations.aspx as submitted,
except as may not be possible for
technical reasons. Public comments will
not be edited to remove any identifying
or contact information. Paper copies of
comments may be inspected in NCUA’s
law library at 1775 Duke Street,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314, by
appointment weekdays between 9 a.m.
and 3 p.m. To make an appointment,
call (703) 518–6546 or send an e-mail to
OGCMail@ncua.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacqueline Lussier, Staff Attorney,
Office of General Counsel; Elizabeth
Wirick, Staff Attorney, Office of General
Counsel; and Lisa Henderson, Staff
Attorney, Office of General Counsel, at
the address above or telephone (703)
518–6540; or David Shetler, Deputy
Director, Office of Corporate Credit
Unions, at the address above or
telephone (703) 518–6640.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
NCUA performs its mission of ensuring
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
the safety and soundness of Federallyinsured credit unions by examining all
Federal credit unions, participating in
the examination and supervision of
Federally-insured, State-chartered credit
unions in coordination with State
regulators, and insuring Federallyinsured credit union members’
accounts. In its statutory role as the
administrator of the National Credit
Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF),
NCUA insures and supervises
approximately 7,500 Federally-insured
credit unions (FICUs), representing 98
percent of all credit unions and serving
approximately 90 million members.
Corporate Credit Union System
A corporate credit union is an
organization, chartered under the
Federal Credit Union Act (the Act) or
under applicable State law as a credit
union that receives share deposits from
and provides loan and other services
primarily to other credit unions. 12 CFR
704.2. There are 26 retail corporates that
provide services directly to NPCUs, and
there is one wholesale corporate, U.S.
Central Bridge Federal Credit Union
(U.S. Central Bridge), that provides
services to many of the 26 retail
corporates. Fourteen retail corporates
and U.S. Central Bridge are Federallychartered and 12 retail corporates are
State-chartered.
Like NPCUs, corporates are memberowned cooperatives. However, at
corporates the member-owners are
primarily NPCUs. Over 95 percent of
NPCUs belong to corporate credit
unions. In addition, other entities that
are not Federally-insured credit unions
(i.e., ‘‘non FICUs’’) also may become
members of corporates. These
nonfederally-insured members consist
of nonfederally-insured credit unions 1
and non credit union entities. Non
credit union entities include credit
union leagues and trade associations,
CUSOs, certain banks, and other types
of organizations. These other
organizations include, for example,
credit union political action
committees, credit union charitable and
educational foundations, and law firms,
insurance agencies, and mortgage
1 Within the 50 states, approximately 152 statechartered credit unions have private, primary share
insurance and are not subject to NCUA regulation
or oversight.
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
companies that are connected to the
credit union industry.
The corporate system offers a broad
range of support to its members. The
products and services provided by U.S.
Central Bridge to retail corporates, and
by retail corporates to their members,
include, among other things: investment
and deposit services, wire transfers,
share draft processing and imaging,
automated clearinghouse (ACH)
transactions processing, automated
teller machine (ATM) processing, bill
payment services, and security
safekeeping. The volume of payment
systems-related transactions throughout
the system annually runs into the
millions and the dollar amounts
associated with those transactions are in
the billions each month. Corporates also
serve as liquidity providers for their
members. An NPCU invests excess
liquidity in a corporate when the NPCU
has lower loan demand and draws down
the invested liquidity when loan
demand increases.
Some NPCUs depend heavily on
corporates; for example, 75 percent of
NPCUs rely on a corporate as their
primary settlement agent. Corporates
provide NPCUs with convenient and
quality services and expertise, all at a
fair price. For many NPCUs, this is a
combination that makes the corporate
system a valuable resource and, for
some smaller NPCUs, an essential
resource.
Federally-chartered corporates are
governed by Federal law and Statechartered corporate credit unions by
State law. In addition, all corporates
that are Federally insured, or that accept
share deposits from NPCU members that
are Federally insured, must comply
with NCUA’s part 704 corporate rule. 12
CFR 704.1, 12 U.S.C. 1766(a).
NCUA recently made substantial
revisions to part 704 (with conforming
amendments to parts 702, 703, 709, and
747). Final Rule, 75 FR 64786 (October
20, 2010) (September Rulemaking). The
most significant amendments establish a
new capital scheme, including riskbased capital requirements; impose new
prompt corrective action requirements;
place various new limits on corporate
investments; impose new asset-liability
management controls; amend some
corporate governance provisions; and
limit a corporate CUSO to categories of
services preapproved by NCUA. The
preamble to the September Rulemaking
also stated that shortly after its
promulgation the Board intended to
issue another proposal that would
further amend Part 704 and related
provisions. Id. at 64824. This current
proposal is the referenced follow-on
rulemaking.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
These proposed amendments would:
(1) Increase the transparency of
corporate credit union decision-making
by requiring corporates conduct all
board of director votes as recorded votes
and include the votes of individual
directors in the meeting minutes;
(2) Incorporate certain sound audit,
reporting, and audit committee practices
from the Federal Deposit Insurance Act
(FDI Act), Part 363 of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Regulations, and the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 (SOX);
(3) Provide for the equitable sharing of
TCCUSF expenses among all members
of corporate credit unions, including
both credit union and noncredit union
members, by establishing procedures for
requesting members not insured by the
NCUSIF to make voluntary premium
payments to the TCCUSF;
(4) Protect against unnecessary
competition between corporates by
limiting NPCUs to membership in one
corporate of the NPCU’s choice at any
one time and prohibiting an NPCU from
making any investment in a corporate
where the NPCU is not also a member;
(5) Improve risk management at
corporates by requiring corporates to
establish enterprise-wide risk
management committees staffed with at
least one independent risk management
expert;
(6) Provide corporates with more
options to grow retained earnings by
allowing corporates to charge their
members reasonable one-time or
periodic membership fees; and
(7) Require the disclosure of
compensation received from a corporate
CUSO by certain highly compensated
corporate credit union executives.
These proposals are discussed in
more detail below in the section-bysection analysis.
Section-by-Section Analysis of
Proposed Amendments
Section 701.5 Membership Limited to
One Corporate Credit Union
In the recent past, some NPCUs ‘‘rate
shopped’’ among corporates for the
highest deposit rates and lowest service
costs. This rate shopping resulted in
increased competition and, in some
cases, led to unsafe investment activities
as corporates sought higher investment
yields to subsidize share dividends and
service costs.
Proposed § 701.5 seeks to prevent
unhealthy competition among
corporates by requiring Federal credit
unions to make a decision to commit to
membership in one corporate at a time.
The proposal provides that a Federal
credit union may belong to two
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73001
corporates for a short period of time, but
only when transitioning between those
corporates. In addition, the proposal
prohibits a Federal credit union from
making any investment, including a
share or deposit account, a loan, or a
capital investment, in a corporate of
which the Federal credit union is not a
member.2 This will avoid unhealthy
competition among corporates driven by
rate shopping among nonmembers.
Proposed § 701.5 has prospective
impact only. That is, credit unions that
are currently members of two or more
corporates do not have to relinquish
memberships in any of those corporates.
The Board believes that the members of
a credit union are owners of that credit
union, including the members of a
corporate, and that ‘‘once a member,
always a member.’’
The Board also notes that § 704.8(k)
applies a 15 percent investment limit to
investments in a corporate made by a
‘‘member or nonmember credit union.’’
This section does not authorize
investments by nonmembers, and, if the
Board adopts § 701.5(c) as proposed, it
is unlikely that a nonmember credit
union would be able to make any
investments in a corporate where it is
not already a member.
These same restrictions, through
language added in new § 741.226 of part
741, would apply to State-chartered
Federally-insured NPCUs as well as
FCUs.
This proposal also contains the
following changes to part 704.
Section 704.2 Definitions
The NCUA Board is proposing to add
a number of new definitions to § 704.2
to assist in complying with the
proposed revisions to § 704.15
discussed below. The defined terms
include: Critical accounting policies,
Enterprise risk management,
Examination of internal control, Family,
Financial statements, Financial
statement audit, Generally accepted
auditing standards, Independent public
accountant, Internal control, Internal
control framework, Internal control over
financial reporting, and Supervisory
committee.
The associated definitions come from
a variety of sources, including other
sections of the NCUA Rules and
Regulations, auditing and accounting
industry standards, and Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) rules. The
Board requests comment on the
appropriateness of these definitions.
2 The FCU Act provisions generally authorizing
such nonmember transactions, such as 12 U.S.C.
1757(6) and 1757(7)(C), are specifically subject to
the regulation of the Board. 12 U.S.C. 1757 and
1782.
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
73002
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Section 704.11 Corporate Credit Union
Service Organizations; § 704.19
Disclosure of Executive and Director
Compensation
The recently adopted revisions in the
September Rulemaking require that each
corporate annually prepare, and provide
to its members, a document that
discloses the compensation of certain
employees. 12 CFR 704.19(a). An
employee of a corporate may also,
however, be an employee of a corporate
CUSO and receive additional
compensation from the CUSO. The dual
employee’s compensation disclosure
under § 704.19(a) would be incomplete
without a disclosure of both sources of
compensation, particularly where the
employee’s corporate has made a loan
to, or other investment in, that corporate
CUSO and so has some control over the
CUSO.
The proposal amends § 704.19 to
clarify that for CUSOs in which a
corporate has invested, the corporate
must include compensation received
from the CUSO in disclosures of
compensation paid to the corporate’s
most highly compensated employees.
To facilitate this disclosure, the
proposal also amends § 704.11(g), which
lists certain items with which a CUSO
must agree in writing before a corporate
credit union may make a loan to or
invest in the CUSO. The amendment to
§ 704.11(g) requires a corporate CUSO
disclose compensation paid to any
employees that are also employees of a
corporate credit union lending to, or
investing in, the CUSO. This ensures
that CUSOs will provide corporate
credit unions the information necessary
for the corporate to make the full
disclosure required by § 704.19.
The proposal applies only to
corporate employees. It does not amend
or otherwise modify § 704.11(f), which
prohibits officials of corporate credit
unions which have invested in or
loaned to a corporate CUSO from
receiving any compensation or other
payments from the corporate CUSO.
Section 704.13 Board Responsibilities
The proposal adds a new
subparagraph (c)(8) to § 704.13, Board
responsibilities, to require that all board
of directors votes be conducted by
recorded votes.3
The minutes reporting the vote must
identify the board members, by name,
who voted for or against the proposal,
as well as, if applicable, the board
members who were absent or otherwise
failed to vote, and any board members
3 The September Rulemaking redesignated the
Board Responsibilities section from § 704.4 to
§ 704.13.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
who abstained from voting. The Board
believes this provision is necessary so as
to increase the transparency of corporate
board actions.
The corporate credit union system has
confronted profound challenges during
the economic crisis of the past several
years. Some corporate credit unions
made poor investment decisions, and
these decisions caused billions of
dollars of losses. Unfortunately, the role
of individual directors in these
decisions was not always clear because
the board secretary did not always
record the votes of individual directors
in the minutes of the board meeting.
Corporate boards are likely to
continue to face crucial decisions. For
example, the ongoing effects of the
financial crisis may force some
corporates to confront critical
restructuring questions in which the
interests of NPCUs utilizing different
services of the corporate may diverge. In
these situations, members may need to
know how each director voted in
addition to knowing the outcome of the
vote.
Also, requiring recorded votes will
help to ensure that corporate directors
comply with their obligation to recuse
themselves from deliberating and voting
on items which may involve a conflict
of interest. Article XI, § 2 of the
Standard Corporate Federal Credit
Union Bylaws prohibits corporate
insiders, including directors, from
participating ‘‘in any manner, directly,
or indirectly in the deliberation upon or
the determination of any question
affecting his/her pecuniary interest or
the pecuniary interest of any
corporation, partnership, or association
(other than the corporate credit union)
in which he/she is directly or indirectly
interested.’’ If a director is disqualified
because of a conflict, the director must
withdraw from deliberation and
determination of the issue. Id. Under the
bylaw, the director has the obligation to
identify issues that may pose a conflict
of interest and withdraw from
deliberation and determination of these
issues. If, however, a director fails to
self-identify or report a potential
conflict, it would be difficult to
determine whether or how the director
voted on an issue without disclosure of
votes on a director-by-director basis.
The accountability and transparency
that results from recording vote tallies
by name will provide an important
backstop to the self-policing aspect of
the corporate bylaw conflict-of-interest
provision.
NCUA’s existing regulations provide
some transparency to members, but may
not be sufficient absent a specific
requirement to record votes by name.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
For example, NCUA’s regulations
provide a process by which members of
credit unions, including members of
corporate credit unions, may inspect the
credit union’s books and records as well
as minutes of member, board, and
committee meetings. 12 CFR 701.3(a).
Members seeking access to records must
submit a petition signed by one percent
of the credit union’s members; the
petition must identify particular records
and state a purpose related to the
protection of the members’ financial
interest in the credit union. 12 CFR
701.3(b). Like the current proposal, the
rule providing for member access to
records increases the transparency of
actions and decisions of the credit
union’s leadership. If, however, the
corporate credit union’s records lack
recorded votes showing how each
director voted on a particular issue,
members would not be able to get the
director-by-director tally even after
submitting a petition.
There are multiple sources of
authority for NCUA’s proposed
amendment to paragraph 704.13(c). The
Act grants NCUA broad authority to
require FICUs, including corporate
credit unions, to submit financial data
and other information as required by the
NCUA Board. 12 U.S.C. 1761, 1766,
1781, and 1789. Further, the Act
authorizes the NCUA Board to request
additional information as it may require.
12 U.S.C. 1782(a)(2). NCUA’s
recommended standard procedures for
corporate credit union examinations
include a review of minutes of the board
of directors’ meetings or actions. NCUA
Corporate Examination Procedures
§ 301P–004 (2003). Like the review of
board minutes, the proposal falls under
NCUA’s general powers to require both
Federal credit unions and Federallyinsured State-chartered credit unions to
prepare and submit information in
connection with insurance
examinations.
Section 704.15 Audit and Reporting
Requirements
Both NCUA and natural person credit
unions rely upon financial information
to evaluate the condition of insured
corporate credit unions and to
determine the adequacy of regulatory
capital. Accurate and reliable
measurement of a corporate credit
union’s assets and earnings has a direct
bearing on the determination of
regulatory capital. Interested parties can
place greater reliance on recognition,
measurement, and disclosures
contained in financial statements that
have been subject to an independent
audit. Independent audits help to
identify weaknesses in internal control
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
over financial reporting and risk
management at corporate credit unions
and reinforce corrective measures, thus
complementing supervisory efforts in
contributing to the safety and soundness
of corporate credit unions.
NCUA currently requires that a
corporate credit union’s board of
directors ensure the preparation of
timely and accurate balance sheets,
income statements, and internal risk
assessments and that systems are
audited periodically in accordance with
industry standards. 12 CFR 704.4(c). In
addition, a corporate credit union’s
supervisory committee must ensure
that: (1) An external audit is performed
annually in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards; and (2) the
audit report is submitted to the board of
directors, to NCUA, and in a summary
version, to the members. 12 CFR
704.15(a).
To facilitate early identification of
problems in financial management at
corporate credit unions, the NCUA
Board is proposing to amend § 704.15 to
add certain additional auditing,
reporting, and supervisory committee
requirements. The most significant
proposed revisions would require a
corporate credit union to:
Ensure that its financial reports reflect
all material correcting adjustments
necessary to conform with generally
accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
that were identified by the corporate
credit union’s independent public
accountant (IPA).
Prepare an annual management
report, signed by the chief executive
officer and the chief accounting officer
or chief financial officer, that contains:
(1) A statement of management’s
responsibility for preparing financial
statements, responsibility for
establishing and maintaining an
adequate internal control structure,
responsibility for procedures for
financial reporting, and responsibility
for complying with laws and regulations
relating to safety and soundness
designated by NCUA; (2) an assessment
of the corporate credit union’s
compliance with such laws and
regulations; and (3) for a corporate with
assets of at least $1 billion, an
assessment of the effectiveness of the
internal control structure and
procedures over financial reporting,
including identifying the internal
control framework used to evaluate such
internal control.
Ensure that its IPA: (1) Reports on a
timely basis to the supervisory
committee all critical accounting
policies, alternative accounting
practices discussed with management,
and written communications provided
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
to management; (2) retains the working
papers related to an audit and, if
applicable, the evaluation of the
corporate credit union’s internal control
over financial reporting, for seven years
from the report release date; (3)
complies with the independence
standards and interpretations of the
American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA); (4) has, prior to
beginning any services for a corporate,
a peer review that meets acceptable
audit industry guidelines; (5) notifies
NCUA if the IPA ceases being a
corporate credit union’s independent
accountant; and (6) for a corporate with
assets of at least $1 billion, reports
separately to the supervisory committee
on management’s assertions concerning
the effectiveness of the corporate credit
union’s internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting.
Ensure that its supervisory committee
(1) consists of members who are not
employees of the corporate credit union;
(2) supervises the IPA; and (3) ensures
that audit engagement letters do not
contain unsafe and unsound limitation
of liability provisions.
NCUA has based many of these
proposed revisions on part 363 of the
FDIC’s Rules, 12 CFR part 363. The
FDIC has provided guidance, found in
Appendices A and B to part 363, to
assist managements of banks and thrifts
in complying with a number of part 363
requirements. The NCUA Board has
determined not to issue similar formal
guidance in conjunction with the
proposed revisions to part 704.
The NCUA Board also notes that part
363 only applies to banks and thrifts
with assets of at least $500 million. In
contrast, most of these proposed
provisions to part 704 would apply to
all corporate credit unions, even those
smaller corporates with under $500
million in assets.4 The Board believes
that because corporates provide services
to NPCUs, smaller corporate credit
unions may present systemic risks that
smaller banks and thrifts do not. The
Board requests comment, however, on
whether certain of the proposed
provisions should apply only to
corporate credit unions with assets
above a certain threshold. Commenters
should specify which provisions and
what the asset threshold or thresholds
should be.
4A
few provisions in proposed 704.15 would
apply only to corporates with assets of at least $1
billion.
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73003
Paragraph 704.15(a) Annual Reporting
Requirements
704.15(a)(1) Audited Financial
Statements
Proposed paragraph (a)(1) restates the
existing requirement that a corporate
credit union prepare audited financial
statements that conform with GAAP. To
facilitate a more accurate picture of a
corporate credit union’s financial
condition, the proposal also adds the
requirement that the annual financial
statements reflect all material correcting
adjustments identified by the IPA as
necessary to conform with GAAP.
704.15(a)(2) Management Report
Proposed paragraph (a)(2) requires the
management of a corporate prepare an
annual report that contains certain
enumerated elements.
The Board is concerned that
management in some corporate credit
unions may have insufficient oversight
over certain reporting, control, and
compliance functions. The Board
believes that requiring management to
acknowledge its responsibilities in these
areas will help the corporate credit
union identify needed improvements in
financial management. Accordingly,
proposed paragraph (a)(2)(i) requires
management reports contain a statement
of management’s responsibilities for
preparing the corporate credit union’s
annual financial statements, for
establishing and maintaining an
adequate internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting, and
for complying with certain laws and
regulations relating to safety and
soundness.
The proposed rule identifies the
following five safety and soundness
areas about which the NCUA Board is
concerned: affiliate transactions, legal
lending limits, loans to insiders,
restrictions on capital and share
dividends, and regulatory reporting that
meets full and fair disclosure. When the
FDIC issued a proposed rule
implementing new audit, reporting, and
internal control requirements for certain
banks and thrifts, see 12 CFR part 363,
it identified these five areas as
presenting the greatest risks. See 57 FR
42516, Sept. 15, 1992.5 Corporate credit
unions are structured differently from
banks, however, and the Board seeks
comment on whether the five identified
areas are appropriate. The Board also
seeks comment on whether the final
regulation should specify the laws and
rules and regulations covered by
5 Ultimately, the FDIC limited its compliance
concerns to laws and regulations concerning insider
lending and dividend restrictions. See 58 FR 31332,
June 2, 1993.
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
73004
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
proposed paragraph (a)(2), such as
section 107(5)(A)(iv) and (v) of the
Federal Credit Union Act, 12 U.S.C.
1757(5)(A)(iv) and (v), governing loans
to directors and committee members,
and § 704.7, governing corporate credit
union lending.
Proposed paragraph (a)(2)(ii) requires
management assess and report on the
corporate credit union’s compliance
with those designated safety and
soundness laws and regulations. This
assessment requirement reinforces the
importance of management’s
responsibility for complying with the
rules by requiring disclosure of
instances of noncompliance.
Management should perform its own
investigation and review of compliance
with the rules and maintain records of
its assessments until the next NCUA
examination or such later date as
specified by NCUA.
The NCUA Board has determined that
corporate credit unions with $1 billion
or more in total assets present
additional risks. Accordingly, proposed
paragraph (a)(2)(iii) requires these larger
corporate credit unions include in their
management reports an assessment of
the effectiveness of the internal control
structure over financial reporting.
Management must identify the internal
control framework used to make its
evaluation, include a statement that the
evaluation included controls over the
preparation of financial statements and
regulatory reports, include a statement
as to management’s conclusion
regarding the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting, and
disclose all material weaknesses
identified by management. Management
may not conclude that internal control
over financial reporting is effective if
there are any material weaknesses.
A suitable control framework is one
established by a body of experts
following widespread opportunity for
comment, including the broad
distribution of the framework for public
comment. A framework is suitable only
when it:
• Is free from bias;
• Permits reasonably consistent
qualitative and quantitative
measurements of a corporate credit
union’s internal control over financial
reporting;
• Is sufficiently complete so that
those relevant factors that would alter a
conclusion about the effectiveness of a
corporate credit union’s internal control
over financial reporting are not omitted;
and
• Is relevant to an evaluation of
internal control over financial reporting.
The Internal Control—Integrated
Framework published by the Committee
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (the ‘‘COSO
Report’’) provides a suitable and
recognized framework for purposes of a
management assessment in the United
States. Other suitable frameworks have
been published in other countries, and
still others may be developed in the
future. Such other suitable frameworks
may be used by management and the
corporate credit union’s IPA in
assessments, attestations, and audits of
internal control over financial reporting.
704.15(a)(3) Management Report
Signatures
To ensure that management
understands its ultimate responsibility
for the corporate credit union’s
performance, proposed paragraph (a)(3)
requires the chief executive officer and
either the chief accounting officer or
chief financial officer of the corporate
credit union to sign the management
report.
704.15(b)(1) Annual Audit of Financial
Statements
Proposed paragraph (b) sets forth the
requirements applicable to the
corporate’s IPA. Proposed paragraph
(b)(1) clarifies the existing requirement
that a corporate credit union have its
annual financial statements audited by
an IPA in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards. The IPA
should be registered or licensed to
practice as a public accountant, and be
in good standing, under the laws of the
State or other political subdivision of
the United States in which the home
office of the corporate credit union is
located.
704.15(b)(2) Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting
Proposed paragraph (b)(2) requires an
IPA who audits a corporate credit union
with assets of at least $1 billion attest to
management’s assertions concerning the
effectiveness of the corporate credit
union’s internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting. To
ensure that an attestation report is
sufficiently informative, the report
must:
• Identify the internal control
framework that the IPA used to make
the evaluation (which must be the same
as the internal control framework used
by management);
• Include a statement that the IPA’s
evaluation included controls over the
preparation of regulatory financial
statements;
• Include a clear statement as to the
IPA’s conclusion regarding the
effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting;
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
• Disclose all material weaknesses
identified by the IPA that have not been
remediated;
• Conclude that internal control is
ineffective if there are any material
weaknesses; and
• Be dated by the IPA on or after the
date of management’s report on its
assessment of the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting.
704.15(b)(3) Notice by Accountant of
Termination of Services
In the interests of safety and
soundness, and to ensure that NCUA is
aware of potential conflicts between a
corporate credit union and its IPA,
proposed paragraph (b)(3) requires an
IPA to notify NCUA if the IPA
terminates work as the corporate credit
union’s auditor. The IPA’s notice of
termination under (b)(3) is similar to the
notice of termination in proposed
paragraph (c)(4) that the corporate credit
union must provide to both NCUA and
the IPA. In its (b)(3) notice, the IPA
must state whether the IPA agrees with
the corporate credit union’s assertions
contained in the (c)(4) notice and
whether the IPA agrees that the (c)(4)
notice discloses all relevant reasons for
the IPA’s termination.
704.15(b)(4) Communications With
Supervisory Committee
The Board believes that
communications between a corporate
credit union’s supervisory committee
and its auditor are critical to proper
oversight of the auditing function.
Accordingly, proposed paragraph (b)(4)
establishes certain communication
requirements between the auditor and
the committee. Under the proposal, an
IPA must inform the supervisory
committee on a timely basis about: (1)
All critical accounting policies, (2)
alternative accounting treatments
discussed with management, and (3)
written communications provided to
management, such as a management
letter or schedule of unadjusted
differences. These requirements are
minimum requirements—other
communications beyond these
requirements are encouraged.
704.15(b)(5) Retention of Working
Papers
Consistent with best industry
practices, proposed paragraph (b)(5)
requires an IPA to retain the working
papers related to its audit of a corporate
credit union’s financial statements for at
least seven years. If the IPA has
conducted an evaluation of internal
control over financial reporting, the IPA
must also retain those working papers
for at least seven years.
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
704.15(b)(6) Independence
Proposed paragraph (b)(6) codifies
existing industry self-governance
requirements that auditors comply with
the independence standards of the
American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA).
704.15(b)(7) Peer Reviews
Proposed paragraph (b)(7) codifies
existing industry self-governance
requirements that auditors undergo
periodic peer reviews. The proposal
clarifies that acceptable peer reviews
include those performed in accordance
with the AICPA’s Peer Review
Standards and inspections conducted by
the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (PCAOB). This
paragraph also requires a corporate
credit union’s IPA to file a copy of the
peer review report, or the public portion
of the PCAOB inspection report, with
NCUA.
704.15(c)(1) Annual Reporting
Proposed paragraph 704.15(c) sets
forth various reporting, filing, and
notice requirements. The current
regulation is silent on when a corporate
credit union must provide a copy of its
annual report to NCUA. To ensure
timely filing and provide consistent
application of the requirement,
proposed paragraph (c)(1) provides that
a corporate credit union must file a copy
of its annual report to NCUA within 180
days after the end of the calendar year.
The report must contain the audited
financial statements, the IPA’s report on
those statements, a management report,
and, if applicable, the IPA’s attestation
report on management’s assessment of
internal control over financial reporting.
704.15(c)(2) Public Availability
Proposed paragraph (c)(2) provides
that NCUA will make a corporate credit
union’s annual report available for
public inspection.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
704.15(c)(3) IPA’s Reports
Consistent with good corporate
governance, proposed paragraph (c)(3)
requires a corporate credit union to
provide NCUA with a copy of any
management letter or report issued by
its IPA. The proposal includes examples
of the types of reports covered.
704.15(c)(4) Notice of Engagement or
Change of Accountants
In the interests of safety and
soundness, and as discussed above,
proposed paragraph (c)(4) requires a
corporate to inform NCUA when the
credit union engages an IPA or loses an
IPA through dismissal or resignation.
The corporate must include with the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
notice a reasonably detailed statement
of the reasons for any dismissal or
resignation. The corporate must send a
copy of the (c)(4) notice required to the
IPA when the notice is filed with
NCUA.
704.15(c)(5) Notification of Late Filing
Proposed paragraph (c)(5) requires the
corporate provide a notice to NCUA of
late filing of the annual report. The
notice must specify the reasons for the
inability to comply with the 180-day
requirement and must also state the date
by which the report will be filed.
704.15(c)(6) Report to Members
Paragraph (a) of the current § 704.15
requires a corporate credit union to
submit a summary of its annual report
to the membership. Recognizing that a
corporate credit union may not have
completed its annual report at the time
of the annual meeting, proposed
paragraph (c)(6) substitutes the word
‘‘preliminary’’ for ‘‘summary.’’
704.15(d)(1) Composition
Proposed paragraph 704.15(d) deals
with the corporate’s supervisory
committee. Proposed paragraph (d)(1)
discusses the composition of the
supervisory committee, stating that its
members may not be employees of the
corporate credit union and must be
independent of the corporate credit
union. The employment prohibition
codifies Article X, Section 1, of the
Corporate Federal Credit Union Bylaws
for all corporates. The NCUA Board
believes that in the interests of sound
governance this prohibition should be
applied to all corporates.
The Board further believes that to
avoid potential conflicts of interest,
supervisory committee members should
be independent of the corporate. Under
the proposal, a committee member is
independent if he or she does not have
any family relationships or material
business or professional relationships
with the corporate credit union and has
been free of such relationships for at
least three years.
704.15(d)(2) Duties
As a general matter, the supervisory
committee should perform all the duties
required of it under the corporate’s
bylaws as determined by the corporate’s
board of directors. Proposed paragraph
(d)(2) clarifies that the committee is also
responsible for the appointment,
compensation, and oversight of the IPA,
and for reviewing with management and
the IPA the basis for audit reports.
As the SEC noted when it adopted its
final rule implementing a similar
provision regarding the audit
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73005
committees of public companies, the
auditing process may be compromised if
a company’s outside auditors
incorrectly view their primary
responsibility as serving the company’s
management rather than the company’s
full board of directors or audit
committee. See 68 FR 18787, 18796,
Apr. 16, 2003. The SEC went on to state
that auditors may view management as
the ‘‘employer’’ if management has the
power to hire, fire, and set
compensation and that under these
circumstances the auditor may not have
the appropriate incentive to raise
concerns and conduct an objective
review. Id. The SEC concluded that one
way to promote auditor independence
was for the auditor to be hired,
evaluated, and, if necessary, terminated
by the audit committee. Id. The NCUA
Board believes it is critical that
accountants who perform audit and
attestation services for corporates have
an appropriate incentive to conduct an
objective review and identify potential
concerns. In this regard, the Board
believes it is a sound governance
practice for a corporate’s supervisory
committee, rather than its management,
to be responsible for the appointment,
compensation, and oversight of the
accountant.
704.15(d)(3) IPA Engagement Letters
In response to an observed increase in
the types and frequency of provisions in
financial institutions’ external audit
engagement letters that limit the
auditors’ liability, in February 2006 the
Federal financial institution regulatory
agencies, including NCUA, issued an
Interagency Advisory on the Unsafe and
Unsound Use of Limitation of Liability
Provisions in External Audit
Engagement Letters (Interagency
Advisory).6 The Advisory states that
such provisions may weaken the
external auditors’ objectivity,
impartiality, and performance, which in
turn may reduce the reliability of audits
and consequently raise safety and
soundness concerns. The agencies
stated that a financial institution should
not enter into any agreement that
incorporates limitation of liability
provisions with respect to audits.
Since a central purpose of this
proposal is to increase the reliability of
audits, proposed paragraph (d)(3)(i)(B)
requires the supervisory committee
ensure that audit engagement letters and
any related agreements with the IPA for
services to be performed under part 704
do not contain certain limitation of
liability provisions. Prohibited
provisions include any language that
6 27
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
FR 6847, Feb. 9, 2006.
29NOP1
73006
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
indemnifies the IPA against claims
made by third parties; holds harmless or
release the IPA from liability for claims
or potential claims that might be
asserted by the client corporate credit
union, other than claims for punitive
damages; or limits the remedies
available to the client corporate credit
union. Consistent with the Interagency
Advisory, the proposal does not
preclude the use of alternative dispute
resolution agreements and jury trial
waivers.
704.15(d)(4) Outside Counsel
Proposed paragraph (d)(4) provides
that the supervisory committee must,
when deemed necessary by the
committee, have access to its own
outside counsel. All counsel retained by
a corporate, regardless of who at the
corporate retained the counsel, owe the
same fiduciary duties, that is, to provide
advice in the best interests of the
membership. Accordingly, in most
circumstances the Board expects the
supervisory committee, when seeking
legal advice, would employ the services
of the in-house counsel or other counsel
under contract to the corporate. The
Board believes, however, that in the
interest of safety and soundness the
supervisory committee must be able to
retain counsel at its discretion without
prior permission of the board of
directors or management, particularly
when the committee perceives that the
in-house counsel or other counsel under
contract to the corporate may be unable
to provide unbiased advice.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
704.15(e) Internal Audit
Paragraph (e) restates the internal
audit requirements in the current
paragraph (b).
704.21 Equitable Distribution of
Corporate Credit Union Stabilization
Expenses
Some of the recent corporate
investment losses were absorbed
directly by the members of the
corporates in the form of capital
depletion. Much of these losses,
however, were absorbed by the NCUSIF
as it made capital injections and
launched liquidity and share guarantee
programs designed to stabilize the
corporate system and protect the system
from collapse. The corporate losses
absorbed by the NCUSIF—and
subsequently transferred from the
NCUSIF to the TCCUSF in June of 2009
and 2010—will be paid by all FICUs in
the form of premium assessments now
and over the next several years. The
stabilization actions taken by NCUA to
protect the corporate system benefitted
every member of every corporate, both
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
FICU and non FICU.7 Without NCUA’s
stabilization actions, the entire
corporate system would have been in
danger of collapse. NCUA’s actions
protected both FICUs and non FICUs
from potential losses in their uninsured
shares and from other potential
problems, such as interruptions in their
payment systems. Unfortunately,
however, not all corporate members
have assumed their fair share of the
expense of NCUA’s corporate
stabilization actions. In particular, non
FICU members have not paid, and likely
will not pay in the future without some
encouragement, their fair share of the
expenses associated with NCUA’s
stabilization actions. Accordingly, and
as discussed below, this proposal seeks
to encourage existing non FICU
members to pay their fair share of such
expenses.
The proposal adds a new § 704.21,
Equitable Distribution of Corporate
Credit Union Stabilization Expenses, to
provide for the equitable sharing of
TCCUSF expenses among all members
of corporate credit unions. Proposed
§ 704.21 provides that when the NCUA
Board assesses a TCCUSF premium on
FICUs, NCUA will request existing non
FICU members make voluntary
payments to the TCCUSF. It requires
that when the NCUA Board imposes a
TCCUSF premium assessment on
FICUs, a corporate credit union must
furnish to NCUA information about all
its non FICU members. NCUA will then
request each of these non FICU
members to make a voluntary premium
payment to the TCCUSF in an amount
calculated as a percentage of the non
FICU member’s previous year-end
assets.8 In the event one or more of these
non FICUs declines to make the
requested payment, or makes a payment
in an amount less than requested, the
proposal requires the corporate conduct
a member vote on whether to expel that
non FICU. A paragraph-by-paragraph
breakdown of § 704.21 follows.
When the Board acts to assess a
premium on FICUs, paragraph (a)
provides that each corporate credit
union must prepare a list of all its
members on the date of the assessment
that are non FICUs, including the name
and assets of each such member, with
the address and contact information for
7 The term ‘‘non FICU’’ includes every corporate
member that is not insured by the NCUSIF. Trade
associations, CUSOs, non credit union cooperatives,
banks, insurance companies, and privately insured
credit unions are examples of entities that might be
members of certain corporates and fall within the
term ‘‘non FICU.’’
8 See 12 U.S.C. 1772a (authority of NCUA to
accept gifts for carrying out any of its functions
under the Act); and 12 U.S.C. 1789.
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
each such member. The assets of the
non FICUs will be determined as of the
previous year-end. The corporate should
collect information from the member to
support this asset calculation, such as
an annual financial statement. If the
member will not provide this
information to the corporate, the
corporate should simply make its best
estimate of the asset size and inform
NCUA of the basis for the estimate.
Paragraph (b) provides that within 14
days after the date of the assessment on
FICUs, the corporate credit union must
send the list of non FICU members to
the NCUA Office of Corporate Credit
Unions. A corporate that has no non
FICU members must provide the Office
of Corporate Credit Unions with a
statement to that effect.
Paragraph (c) provides that within 60
days after the date of assessment on
FICUs, the NCUA Chief Financial
Officer will request each non FICU to
make a voluntary payment to the
TCCUSF. The amount of the requested
payment will be the entity’s assets times
0.815 times the percentage of insured
shares that each FICU was assessed. The
payment must be received by NCUA
within 60 days after the date of the
Chief Financial Officer’s request.
NCUA determined the 0.815 factor by
using the ratio of total aggregate FICU
insured shares to aggregate FICU assets.
NCUA calculated these ratios for yearend 2008 (ratio = 0.810) 9 and year-end
2009 (ratio = 0.819) 10 and then averaged
the two ratios to obtain the factor 0.815.
Accordingly, multiplying a non FICU’s
assets by 0.815 produces an amount
approximating the entity’s ‘‘insured
shares’’ as if the entity were a Federallyinsured credit union.
Paragraph (d) provides that if NCUA
does not receive a full, timely payment
of the TCCUSF contribution requested,
NCUA will notify the corporate credit
union of the failure. Paragraph (e)
requires that no later than 90 days after
receipt of the notice from NCUA, the
corporate must call a special meeting of
its members to determine whether each
member that failed to make the full
payment should be expelled from the
corporate credit union. For Federallychartered corporates, the expulsion vote
will be conducted in accordance with
§ 118(a) of the Act, which provides that
a member may be expelled by a twothirds vote of the members present at a
special meeting called for that purpose,
9 2008: total shares $658.9 billion; total assets
$813.4 billion. https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/
Reports/statistics/Yearend2008.pdf (page 1,
footnote 3).
10 2009: total shares $724.8 billion; total assets
$884.8 billion. https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/
Reports/statistics/Yearend2009.pdf (page 1).
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
but only after an opportunity has been
given to the member to be heard. 12
U.S.C. 1764(a); see Article III, § 5 of the
Standard Federal Corporate Credit
Union Bylaws. For State-chartered
corporates, the expulsion vote will be
conducted in accordance with the
bylaws of the corporate and applicable
State law.
Paragraph (f) permits the corporate to
conduct the expulsion vote at an annual
meeting, if that would coincide with the
date of any special meeting called under
paragraph (e).
Paragraph (g) provides that for non
FICUs that belong to more than one
corporate, NCUA will request only one
voluntary payment from that non FICU
in connection with each TCCUSF
assessment. If NCUA does not receive
full payment of the amount requested,
however, NCUA will notify all
corporates to which the non FICU
belongs for purposes of conducting an
expulsion vote.
As should be clear from the language
of proposed § 704.21, NCUA does not
ultimately make the determination of
whether a non FICU should make a
payment to the TCCUSF or the amount
of the payment. The non FICU makes
that determination. NCUA also does not
make the determination of the adequacy
of any payment. The members of the
affected corporate make that
determination when deciding whether
or not to expel the non FICU member.
It is these corporate members, and
particularly the FICU corporate
members, that have a vested financial
interest in whether or not non FICU
members are contributing equitably to
cover losses in the corporate credit
union system.
The Board does not intend at this time
to apply § 704.21 retroactively. Section
704.21 would only apply to TCCUSF
assessments made following the
effective date of any final rule.
704.22 Enterprise Risk Management
Sound risk management is an integral
part of running a corporate credit union,
and corporates need to strengthen their
enterprise risk management. A welldesigned enterprise risk management
process can help a corporate by
providing a framework within which
the board of directors and senior
management can determine:
• Where all the corporate’s risk
exposures lie;
• The amount of risk the corporate
has in each exposure and the maximum
levels it is willing to accept;
• How the risk exposures are
changing; and
• The appropriate risk controls to
limit overall risk to targeted levels.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
Accordingly, this proposal adds a new
§ 704.22, Enterprise Risk Management.
This section requires corporates to
develop and follow an enterprise risk
management policy (paragraph (a)). The
board of directors must establish an
enterprise risk management committee
that is responsible for overseeing the
corporate’s risk management practices
and must report at least annually to the
board of directors (paragraph (b)). The
committee must include at least one
independent risk management expert
with sufficient experience in
identifying, assessing, and managing
risk exposures (paragraph (c)).
The proposal defines independent to
mean that the expert does not have any
family relationships or any material
business or professional relationships
with the corporate that would affect his
or her independence as a committee
member, and has been free of any such
relationships for at least three years
(paragraph (d)). The risk management
expert will have post-graduate
education; an actuarial, accounting,
economics, financial, or legal
background; and at least five years
experience in identifying, assessing, and
managing risk exposures. The expert’s
experience must also be commensurate
with the size of the corporate and the
complexity of its operations. Proposed
paragraph 704.22(e) clarifies that the
risk management expert is not required
to be a director of the corporate credit
union. The board must hire this
individual from outside the corporate.
Proposed paragraph 704.15(a)(2)(iii)
requires management of a corporate
with assets of at least $1 billion assess
the effectiveness of the corporate’s
internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting.
Proposed paragraph 704.15(a)(3)
requires the corporate’s managers to
sign the report. The Board requests
comment on whether NCUA should add
a corresponding requirement that
management assess the effectiveness of
the corporate’s enterprise risk reporting
and that the senior risk management
official sign the management report.
704.23
Membership Fees
This proposal adds a new § 704.23,
Membership Fees, permitting corporates
the option of charging their members, as
a mandatory requirement of
membership, reasonable one-time or
periodic membership fees. The fees
must generally be proportional to the
member’s asset size, and a member must
be given at least six months notice of
any new fees, or any material change to
an existing fee. Furthermore, a corporate
can terminate the membership of any
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73007
credit union that fails to pay the fee
fully and on time.
The September Rulemaking requires
corporates to achieve certain minimum
capital ratios, including, over time,
certain minimum retained earnings
ratios. NCUA is proposing this
amendment to provide corporates with
additional options in building up their
retained earnings. Unlike a capital
contribution, which will not flow to
retained earnings, a membership fee
flows directly to a corporate’s retained
earnings.
Paragraph (a) states that a corporate
may charge its members a membership
fee. The fees may be assessed on a
periodic basis or as a one-time fee.
Paragraph (b) provides that the
corporate must calculate the fee
uniformly for all members and as a
percentage of each member’s assets.
However, the corporate has the
discretion to reduce the amount of the
fee for members that have contributed
capital to the corporate. Any such
reduction must be proportional to the
amount of the member’s non-depleted
contributed capital. Calculating the fee
as a percentage of each member’s assets
is fairer to smaller natural person credit
unions than a one-size-fits-all fee. In
addition, NCUA wishes to give
corporates the flexibility to reduce the
size of the fee for those members that
are contributing more capital to the
corporate.
Paragraph (c) requires a corporate to
give its members a minimum of six
months notice of any new fee, including
disclosure of its terms and conditions,
before invoicing the fee. For a recurring
fee, the corporate must also provide six
months notice of any material change to
the terms and condition of the fee.
Corporate members should be given
adequate time to look for alternatives to
membership in the corporate should
they find the fees too onerous. The
Board believes that six months to find
an alternative service provider should
be appropriate.
Paragraph (d) permits a corporate to
terminate the membership of any credit
union that fails to pay the fee in full
within 60 days of the invoice date. The
Board believes this is a reasonable
amount of time, given the advance
notice required by paragraph (c).
Comment Period
The Board is putting this proposal out
for a 30-day comment period in lieu of
the standard 60-day comment period.
The proposed rule is straightforward in
its operation, and so does not require
extensive time to consider. In addition,
the Board desires, as much as possible,
to coordinate the effective date of this
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
73008
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
rulemaking with the effective dates of
the September Rulemaking.
Regulatory Procedures
Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act
requires NCUA to prepare an analysis to
describe any significant economic
impact any proposed regulation may
have on a substantial number of small
entities (those under $10 million in
assets). For the most part, the proposal
applies only to corporate credit unions,
all of which have assets well in excess
of $10 million. The one provision that
applies directly to natural person credit
unions, which generally limits
membership in one corporate at a time,
will not affect many small credit unions
because they generally do not belong to
multiple corporates. Accordingly, the
proposed amendments will not have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small credit
unions and, therefore, a regulatory
flexibility analysis is not required.
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA) applies to rulemakings in which
an agency by rule creates a new
paperwork burden on regulated entities
or modifies an existing burden. 44
U.S.C. 3507(d); 5 CFR part 1320. For
purposes of the PRA, a paperwork
burden may take the form of a reporting,
recordkeeping, or disclosure
requirement, each referred to as an
information collection.
The proposed changes to part 704 in
this proposal impose new information
collection requirements. As required by
the PRA, NCUA is submitting a copy of
this proposal to OMB for its review and
approval. Persons interested in
submitting comments with respect to
the information collection aspects of the
proposed rule should submit them to
OMB at the address noted below.
Estimated PRA Burden
The following discussion describes
the new information collection
requirements in the proposal:
1. Recorded director votes.
Proposed § 704.13(c)(8) revises
existing § 704.13(c), Board
responsibilities, to require corporates to
conduct all board of directors votes by
recorded vote, such that the minutes
reporting the vote list the board
members (by name) voting for or against
the proposal, as well as, if applicable,
board members who were absent or
otherwise failed to vote, and board
members who abstained from the vote.
Proposed paragraph (c)(8) would apply
to all 27 corporates. NCUA estimates
that compliance with the requirement to
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
record all board votes and to include the
votes of each director by name in the
minutes will take about one hour.
Corporates are required to hold a
minimum of twelve meetings each year.
27 corporates × 12 meetings = 324
meetings per year. 324 meetings × 1
hour = 324 hours.
2. Equitable distribution of corporate
credit union stabilization fund
expenses.
When the NCUA Board assesses a
premium on FICUs for the TCCUSF in
accordance with proposed § 704.21,
NCUA will ask current non FICU
members of corporates to make
voluntary contributions to the TCCUSF.
Proposed § 704.21(e) requires a
corporate hold an expulsion vote if a
non FICU member does not make the
requested payment. These provisions
would apply to all 27 corporates. NCUA
estimates that the NCUA Board may
assess a premium on FICUs for the
TCCUSF about once each year for the
next several years.
Proposed paragraphs (a) and (b) of
§ 704.21 state that when a TCCUSF
premium is assessed on FICUs, a
corporate must immediately prepare a
list of all its members that are non
FICUs, including the name and asset
size of each such member as of the end
of the previous year, and the address
and contact information of each such
member, and forward the list to NCUA.
NCUA estimates that it should take each
corporate approximately 20 hours to
collect the information, prepare the list,
and submit the list to NCUA. 27
corporates × 20 hours = 540 hours.
Proposed paragraph (e) of § 704.21
provides that following receipt of a
notice of non-payment from NCUA, the
corporate must call a special meeting of
its members to determine whether each
non FICU member that failed to make
the full payment to the TCCUSF should
be expelled from membership in the
corporate. The corporate must notify
NCUA of the result of the member vote.
NCUA estimates that approximately 27
corporates will be required to conduct a
member vote on expulsion once each
year. NCUA estimates the preparation
and mailing of notices and ballots (if
paper ballots are used), the collection of
ballots (if paper ballots are used), and
notifying NCUA of the result of the vote
will take about 25 hours. 27 corporates
× 25 hours = 675 hours.
3. Disclosure of dual employee
compensation from corporate CUSOs.
The amendment to § 704.11 requires
that each corporate CUSO disclose
compensation of dual employees to the
corporate credit unions that make loans
to, or invest in, the CUSO. NCUA
estimates that this requirement will
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
apply to five or fewer CUSOs, and that
making these disclosures will take one
hour per CUSO. 5 CUSOs × 1 hour = 5
hours.
4. Management report.
Proposed § 704.15(a)(2) requires each
corporate credit union to prepare an
annual management report that contains
a statement of management’s
responsibilities for performing certain
duties in the corporate credit union. The
report must also contain an assessment
of the corporate’s compliance with
certain laws and regulations. NCUA
estimates that it should take each
corporate approximately 4 hours to
prepare its management report. 27
corporates × 4 hours = 108 hours.
5. Large corporate credit union
management report.
Proposed § 704.15(a)(2)(iii) requires a
corporate credit union with assets of $1
billion or more to include in its
management report an assessment by
management of the effectiveness of the
corporate credit union’s internal control
structure and procedures for financial
reporting. Currently, there are 16
corporates with at least $1 billion in
assets. NCUA estimates that it should
take a corporate credit union
approximately 8 hours to prepare its
assessment. 16 corporates × 8 hours =
128 hours.
6. Notice of engagement or change of
accountants.
Proposed § 704.15(c)(4) requires a
corporate credit union to notify NCUA
when it engages an independent public
accountant or loses an independent
public accountant through dismissal or
resignation. The corporate credit union
must include with the notice a
reasonably detailed statement of the
reasons for any dismissal or resignation.
NCUA estimates that no more than five
corporate credit unions will change
accountants each year and that it should
take a corporate credit union about two
hours to prepare the notice and submit
it to NCUA. 5 corporates × 2 hours = 10
hours.
7. Notification of late filing.
Proposed § 704.15(c)(5) requires a
corporate credit union that is unable to
timely file its Annual Report to submit
a written notice to NCUA. NCUA
estimates that no more than five
corporate credit unions will need to
submit such notice and that it should
take about one hour to prepare the
notice and submit it to NCUA. 5
corporates × 1 hour = 5 hours.
B. Summary of Collection Burden
NCUA estimates the total information
collection burden represented by the
proposal, calculated on an annual basis,
as follows:
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
Recorded director votes: 27 corporates
× 12 meetings × 1 hour = 324 hours.
Preparation of list of non FICU
members of a corporate and providing
list to NCUA: 27 corporates × 20 hours
= 540 hours.
Conducting special meeting of a
corporate’s members to expel a member
and notifying NCUA of result of vote: 27
corporates × 25 hours = 675 hours.
Disclosure of dual employee
compensation from corporate CUSOs: 5
CUSOs × 1 hour = 5 hours.
Management report: 27 corporates × 4
hours = 108 hours.
Large corporate credit union
management report: 16 corporates × 8
hours = 128 hours.
Notice of engagement or change of
accountants: 5 corporates × 2 hours = 10
hours.
Notification of late filing: 5 corporates
× 1 hour = 5 hours.
Total Burden Hours: 1,795 hours.
The NCUA considers comments by
the public on this proposed collection of
information in:
Evaluating whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the NCUA, including
whether the information will have a
practical use;
Evaluating the accuracy of the
NCUA’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
Enhancing the quality, usefulness,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
Minimizing the burden of collection
of information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology; e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
The Paperwork Reduction Act
requires OMB to make a decision
concerning the collection of information
contained in the proposed regulation
between 30 and 60 days after
publication of this document in the
Federal Register. Therefore, a comment
to OMB is best assured of having its full
effect if OMB receives it within 30 days
of publication. This does not affect the
deadline for the public to comment to
the NCUA on the proposed regulation.
Comments on the proposed
information collection requirements
should be sent to: Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, New
Executive Office Building, Washington,
DC 20503; Attention: NCUA Desk
Officer, with a copy to Mary Rupp,
Secretary of the Board, National Credit
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
73009
Union Administration, 1775 Duke
Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314–
3428.
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1752(5), 1755, 1756,
1757, 1758, 1759, 1761a, 1761b, 1766, 1767,
1782, 1784, 1786, 1787, 1789.
Executive Order 13132
2. Add a new § 701.5 to read as
follows:
Executive Order 13132 encourages
independent regulatory agencies to
consider the impact of their actions on
State and local interests. In adherence to
fundamental federalism principles,
NCUA, an independent regulatory
agency as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(5),
voluntarily complies with the executive
order.
The proposed rule would not have
substantial direct effects on the States,
on the connection between the national
government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government. NCUA has
determined that this proposal does not
constitute a policy that has federalism
implications for purposes of the
executive order.
The Treasury and General Government
Appropriations Act, 1999—Assessment
of Federal Regulations and Policies on
Families
The NCUA has determined that this
proposed rule will not affect family
well-being within the meaning of
section 654 of the Treasury and General
Government Appropriations Act, 1999,
Public Law 105–277, 112 Stat. 2681
(1998).
List of Subjects
12 CFR Part 701
Credit unions, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
§ 701.5 Membership limited to one
corporate credit union.
(a) A Federal credit union is
prohibited from joining a corporate
credit union if, after joining, the Federal
credit union would be a member of
three or more corporate credit unions.
(b) A Federal credit union is
prohibited from joining a corporate
credit union if, after joining, the Federal
credit union would be a member of
exactly two corporate credit unions. As
an exception, a Federal credit union
may join a second corporate credit
union, but only if the Federal credit
union intends to transfer its share and
deposit account(s) from one corporate
credit union to the other corporate
credit union and has informed the
former corporate credit union of its
intent to resign its membership no later
than six months after joining the latter
corporate credit union.
(c) A Federal credit union is
prohibited from making any investment,
including a share or deposit account, a
loan, or a capital investment, in a
corporate credit union of which the
Federal credit union is not also a
member. This prohibition does not
apply to investments made at a time
when the Federal credit union was a
member of the corporate.
PART 704—CORPORATE CREDIT
UNIONS
12 CFR Part 704
3. The authority citation for part 704
continues to read as follows:
Credit unions, Corporate credit
unions, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1762, 1766(a), 1772a,
1781, 1789, and 1795e.
12 CFR Part 741
Bank deposit insurance, Credit
unions, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
By the National Credit Union
Administration Board on November 18, 2010.
Mary F. Rupp,
Secretary of the Board.
For the reasons stated in the
preamble, the National Credit Union
Administration proposes to amend 12
CFR parts 701, 704, and 741 as set forth
below:
PART 701—ORGANIZATION AND
OPERATION OF FEDERAL CREDIT
UNIONS
1. The authority citation for part 701
continues to read as follows:
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
4. In § 704.2, add the following new
definitions:
*
*
*
*
*
Critical accounting policies means
those policies that are most important to
the portrayal of a corporate credit
union’s financial condition and results
and that require management’s most
difficult, subjective, or complex
judgments, often as a result of the need
to make estimates about the effect of
matters that are inherently uncertain.
*
*
*
*
*
Enterprise risk management means
the process of addressing risk on an
entity-wide basis. The purpose of this
process is not to eliminate risk but,
rather, to provide the knowledge the
board of directors and management
need to effectively measure, monitor,
and control risk and to then plan
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
73010
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
appropriate strategies to achieve the
entity’s business objectives with a
reasonable amount of risk taking.
Examination of internal control
means an engagement of an
independent public accountant to report
directly on internal control or on
management’s assertions about internal
control. An examination of internal
control over financial reporting includes
controls over the preparation of
financial statements in accordance with
accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of
America and NCUA regulatory reporting
requirements.
*
*
*
*
*
Family, as it relates to a particular
individual, means that individual’s
spouse, parents, children, and siblings,
whether by blood, marriage, or
adoption; and any other person residing
in the individual’s home.
*
*
*
*
*
Financial statements means the
presentation of a corporate credit
union’s financial data, including
accompanying notes, derived from
accounting records of the credit union,
and intended to disclose the credit
union’s economic resources or
obligations at a point in time, or the
changes therein for a period of time, in
conformity with GAAP. Each of the
following is considered to be a financial
statement: A balance sheet or statement
of financial condition; statement of
income or statement of operations;
statement of undivided earnings;
statement of cash flows; statement of
changes in members’ equity; statement
of revenue and expenses; and statement
of cash receipts and disbursements.
Financial statement audit means an
audit of the financial statements of a
credit union performed in accordance
with generally accepted auditing
standards by an independent person
who is licensed by the appropriate State
or jurisdiction. The objective of a
financial statement audit is to express
an opinion as to whether those financial
statements of the credit union present
fairly, in all material respects, the
financial position and the results of its
operations and its cash flows in
conformity with GAAP.
Generally accepted auditing
standards (GAAS) means the standards
approved and adopted by the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants
which apply when an ‘‘independent,
licensed certified public accountant’’
audits private company financial
statements in the United States of
America. Auditing standards differ from
auditing procedures in that
‘‘procedures’’ address acts to be
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
performed, whereas ‘‘standards’’
measure the quality of the performance
of those acts and the objectives to be
achieved by use of the procedures
undertaken. In addition, auditing
standards address the auditor’s
professional qualifications as well as the
judgment exercised in performing the
audit and in preparing the report of the
audit.
*
*
*
*
*
Independent public accountant (IPA)
means a person who is licensed by the
appropriate State or jurisdiction to
practice public accounting. An IPA
must be able to exercise fairness toward
credit union officials, members,
creditors and others who may rely upon
the report of a supervisory committee
audit and demonstrate the impartiality
necessary to produce dependable
findings. As used in this part, IPA is
synonymous with the terms ‘‘auditor’’ or
‘‘accountant.’’ The term IPA does not
include a licensed person working in
his or her capacity as an employee of an
unlicensed entity and issuing an audit
opinion in the unlicensed entity’s name,
e.g., a licensed league auditor or
licensed retired examiner working for a
non-licensed entity.
Internal control means the process,
established by the credit union’s board
of directors, officers and employees,
designed to provide reasonable
assurance of reliable financial reporting
and safeguarding of assets against
unauthorized acquisition, use, or
disposition. A credit union’s internal
control structure generally consists of
five components: Control environment;
risk assessment; control activities;
information and communication; and
monitoring. Reliable financial reporting
refers to preparation of Call Reports that
meet management’s financial reporting
objectives. Internal control over
safeguarding of assets against
unauthorized acquisition, use, or
disposition refers to prevention or
timely detection of transactions
involving such unauthorized access,
use, or disposition of assets which could
result in a loss that is material to the
financial statements.
Internal control framework means
criteria such as that established in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework
issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway
Commission (COSO) or comparable,
reasonable, and U.S. recognized criteria.
Internal control over financial
reporting means a process effected by
those charged with governance,
management, and other personnel,
designed to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the preparation of
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
reliable financial statements in
accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States
of America. A corporate credit union’s
internal control over financial reporting
includes those policies and procedures
that:
(1) Pertain to the maintenance of
records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the
transactions and dispositions of the
assets of the entity;
(2) Provide reasonable assurance that
transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial
statements in accordance with
accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of
America, and that receipts and
expenditures of the entity are being
made only in accordance with
authorizations of management and those
charged with governance; and
(3) Provide reasonable assurance
regarding prevention, or timely
detection and correction of
unauthorized acquisition, use, or
disposition of the entity’s assets that
could have a material effect on the
financial statements.
*
*
*
*
*
Supervisory committee means, for
Federally chartered corporate credit
unions, the supervisory committee as
defined in Section 111(b) of the Federal
Credit Union Act, 12 U.S.C. 1761(b). For
State chartered corporate credit unions,
the term supervisory committee refers to
the audit committee, or similar
committee, designated by State statute
or regulation.
*
*
*
*
*
5. In § 704.11, revise paragraphs (g)(5)
and (g)(6), and add a new paragraph
(g)(7), to read as follows:
§ 704.11. Corporate Credit Union Service
Organizations (Corporate CUSOs).
*
*
*
*
*
(g) * * *
(5) Will allow the auditor, board of
directors, and NCUA complete access to
its personnel, facilities, equipment,
books, records, and any other
documentation that the auditor,
directors, or NCUA deem pertinent;
(6) Will inform the corporate, at least
quarterly, of all the compensation paid
by the CUSO to its employees who are
also employees of the corporate credit
union; and
(7) Will comply with all the
requirements of this section.
6. In § 704.13, revise paragraphs (c)(6)
and (c)(7), and add a new paragraph
(c)(8), to read as follows:
§ 704.13
*
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
*
Board responsibilities.
*
29NOP1
*
*
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
(c) * * *
(6) Financial performance is evaluated
to ensure that the objectives of the
corporate credit union and the
responsibilities of management are met;
(7) Planning addresses the retention of
external consultants, as appropriate, to
review the adequacy of technical,
human, and financial resources
dedicated to support major risk areas;
and
(8) All board of directors votes are
conducted by recorded vote, such that
the minutes reporting the vote list the
board members (by name) voting for or
against the proposal, as well as, if
applicable, board members who were
absent or otherwise failed to vote and
board members who abstained from the
vote.
7. Revise § 704.15 to read as follows:
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
§ 704.15
Audit and reporting requirements.
(a) Annual reporting requirements—
(1) Audited financial statements. A
corporate credit union must prepare
annual financial statements in
accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP), which
must be audited by an independent
public accountant in accordance with
generally accepted auditing standards.
The annual financial statements and
regulatory reports must reflect all
material correcting adjustments
necessary to conform with GAAP that
were identified by the corporate credit
union’s independent public accountant.
(2) Management report. Each
corporate credit union must prepare, as
of the end of the previous calendar year,
an annual management report that
contains the following:
(i) A statement of management’s
responsibilities for preparing the
corporate credit union’s annual
financial statements, for establishing
and maintaining an adequate internal
control structure and procedures for
financial reporting, and for complying
with laws and regulations relating to
safety and soundness in the following
areas: Affiliate transactions, legal
lending limits, loans to insiders,
restrictions on capital and share
dividends, and regulatory reporting that
meets full and fair disclosure;
(ii) An assessment by management of
the corporate credit union’s compliance
with such laws and regulations during
the past calendar year. The assessment
must state management’s conclusion as
to whether the corporate credit union
has complied with the designated safety
and soundness laws and regulations
during the calendar year and disclose
any noncompliance with the laws and
regulations; and
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
(iii) For a corporate credit union with
consolidated total assets of $1 billion or
more as of the beginning of such
calendar year, an assessment by
management of the effectiveness of such
internal control structure and
procedures as of the end of such
calendar year that must include the
following:
(A) A statement identifying the
internal control framework used by
management to evaluate the
effectiveness of the corporate credit
union’s internal control over financial
reporting;
(B) A statement that the assessment
included controls over the preparation
of regulatory financial statements in
accordance with regulatory reporting
instructions including identification of
such regulatory reporting instructions;
and
(C) A statement expressing
management’s conclusion as to whether
the corporate credit union’s internal
control over financial reporting is
effective as of the end of the previous
calendar year. Management must
disclose all material weaknesses in
internal control over financial reporting,
if any, that it has identified that have
not been remediated prior to the
calendar year-end. Management may not
conclude that the corporate credit
union’s internal control over financial
reporting is effective if there are one or
more material weaknesses.
(3) Management report signatures.
The chief executive officer and either
the chief accounting officer or chief
financial officer of the corporate credit
union must sign the management report.
(b) Independent public accountant—
(1) Annual audit of financial
statements. Each corporate credit union
must engage an independent public
accountant to audit and report on its
annual financial statements in
accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards. The scope of the
audit engagement must be sufficient to
permit such accountant to determine
and report whether the financial
statements are presented fairly and in
accordance with GAAP. A corporate
credit union must provide its
independent public accountant with a
copy of its most recent Call Report and
NCUA examination report. It must also
provide its independent public
accountant with copies of any notice
that its capital category is being changed
or reclassified and any correspondence
from NCUA regarding compliance with
this section.
(2) Internal control over financial
reporting. For each corporate credit
union with total assets of $1 billion or
more at the beginning of the calendar
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73011
year, the independent public accountant
who audits the corporate credit union’s
financial statements must examine,
attest to, and report separately on the
assertion of management concerning the
effectiveness of the corporate credit
union’s internal control structure and
procedures for financial reporting. The
attestation and report must be made in
accordance with generally accepted
standards for attestation engagements.
The accountant’s report must not be
dated prior to the date of the
management report and management’s
assessment of the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting.
Notwithstanding the requirements set
forth in applicable professional
standards, the accountant’s report must
include the following:
(i) A statement identifying the
internal control framework used by the
independent public accountant, which
must be the same as the internal control
framework used by management, to
evaluate the effectiveness of the
corporate credit union’s internal control
over financial reporting;
(ii) A statement that the independent
public accountant’s evaluation included
controls over the preparation of
regulatory financial statements in
accordance with regulatory reporting
instructions including identification of
such regulatory reporting instructions;
and
(iii) A statement expressing the
independent public accountant’s
conclusion as to whether the corporate
credit union’s internal control over
financial reporting is effective as of the
end of the previous calendar year. The
report must disclose all material
weaknesses in internal control over
financial reporting that the independent
public accountant has identified that
have not been remediated prior to the
calendar year-end. The independent
public accountant may not conclude
that the corporate credit union’s internal
control over financial reporting is
effective if there are one or more
material weaknesses.
(3) Notice by accountant of
termination of services. An independent
public accountant performing an audit
under this part who ceases to be the
accountant for a corporate credit union
must notify NCUA in writing of such
termination within 15 days after the
occurrence of such event and set forth
in reasonable detail the reasons for such
termination.
(4) Communications with supervisory
committee. In addition to the
requirements for communications with
audit committees set forth in applicable
professional standards, the independent
public accountant must report the
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
73012
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
following on a timely basis to the
supervisory committee:
(i) All critical accounting policies and
practices to be used by the corporate
credit union;
(ii) All alternative accounting
treatments within GAAP for policies
and practices related to material items
that the independent public accountant
has discussed with management,
including the ramifications of the use of
such alternative disclosures and
treatments, and the treatment preferred
by the independent public accountant;
and
(iii) Other written communications
the independent public accountant has
provided to management, such as a
management letter or schedule of
unadjusted differences.
(5) Retention of working papers. The
independent public accountant must
retain the working papers related to the
audit of the corporate credit union’s
financial statements and, if applicable,
the evaluation of the corporate credit
union’s internal control over financial
reporting for seven years from the report
release date, unless a longer period of
time is required by law.
(6) Independence. The independent
public accountant must comply with the
independence standards and
interpretations of the American Institute
of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA).
(7) Peer reviews and inspection
reports. (i) Prior to commencing any
services for a corporate credit union
under this section, the independent
public accountant must have received a
peer review, or be enrolled in a peer
review program, that meets acceptable
guidelines. Acceptable peer reviews
include peer reviews performed in
accordance with the AICPA’s Peer
Review Standards and inspections
conducted by the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
(ii) Within 15 days of receiving
notification that the AICPA has
accepted a peer review or the PCAOB
has issued an inspection report, or
before commencing any audit under this
section, whichever is earlier, the
independent public accountant must
file a copy of the most recent peer
review report and the public portion of
the most recent PCAOB inspection
report, if any, accompanied by any
letters of comments, response, and
acceptance, with NCUA if the report has
not already been filed.
(iii) Within 15 days of the PCAOB
making public a previously nonpublic
portion of an inspection report, the
independent public accountant must
file a copy of the previously nonpublic
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
portion of the inspection report with
NCUA.
(c) Filing and notice requirements—
(1) Annual Report. Each corporate credit
union must, no later than 180 days after
the end of the calendar year, file an
Annual Report with NCUA consisting of
the following documents:
(i) The audited comparative annual
financial statements;
(ii) The independent public
accountant’s report on the audited
financial statements;
(iii) The management report; and, if
applicable,
(iv) The independent public
accountant’s attestation report on
management’s assessment concerning
the corporate credit union’s internal
control structure and procedures for
financial reporting.
(2) Public availability. The annual
report in paragraph (c)(1) of this section
will be made available for public
inspection by NCUA.
(3) Independent public accountant’s
letters and reports. Each corporate
credit union must file with NCUA a
copy of any management letter or other
report issued by its independent public
accountant with respect to such
corporate credit union and the services
provided by such accountant pursuant
to this part (except for the independent
public accountant’s reports that are
included in the Annual Report) within
15 days after receipt by the corporate
credit union. Such reports include, but
are not limited to:
(i) Any written communication
regarding matters that are required to be
communicated to the supervisory
committee (for example, critical
accounting policies, alternative
accounting treatments discussed with
management, and any schedule of
unadjusted differences); and
(ii) Any written communication of
significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in internal control required
by the AICPA’s auditing standards.
(4) Notice of engagement or change of
accountants. Each corporate credit
union that engages an independent
public accountant, or that loses an
independent public accountant through
dismissal or resignation, must notify
NCUA within 15 days after the
engagement, dismissal, or resignation.
The corporate credit union must include
with the notice a reasonably detailed
statement of the reasons for any
dismissal or resignation. The corporate
credit union must also provide a copy
of the notice to the independent public
accountant at the same time the notice
is filed with NCUA.
(5) Notification of late filing. A
corporate credit union that is unable to
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
timely file any part of its Annual Report
or any other report or notice required by
this paragraph (c) must submit a written
notice of late filing to NCUA. The notice
must disclose the corporate credit
union’s inability to timely file all or
specified portions of its Annual Report
or other report or notice and the reasons
therefore in reasonable detail. The late
filing notice must also state the date by
which the report or notice will be filed.
The written notice must be filed with
NCUA before the deadline for filing the
Annual Report or any other report or
notice, as appropriate. NCUA may take
appropriate enforcement action for
failure to timely file any report, or
notice of late filing, required by this
section.
(6) Report to Members. A corporate
credit union must submit a preliminary
Annual Report to the membership at the
next calendar year’s annual meeting.
(d) Supervisory committees. (1)
Composition. Each corporate credit
union must establish a supervisory
committee. The members of the
supervisory committee must not be
employees of the corporate credit union
and must be independent of the
corporate credit union. A committee
member is independent if:
(i) The committee member does not
have any family relationships or any
material business or professional
relationships with the corporate credit
union or its management that would
affect his or her independence as a
committee member, and
(ii) The committee member has not
had any such relationships for at least
three years preceding his or her
appointment to the committee.
(2) Duties. In addition to any duties
specified under the corporate credit
union’s bylaws and these regulations,
the duties of the credit union’s
supervisory committee include the
appointment, compensation, and
oversight of the independent public
accountant who performs services
required under this section and
reviewing with management and the
independent public accountant the basis
for all the reports prepared and issued
under this section. The supervisory
committee must submit the audited
comparative annual financial statements
and the independent public
accountant’s report on those statements
to the corporate credit union’s board of
directors.
(3) Independent public accountant
engagement letters. (i) In performing its
duties with respect to the appointment
of the corporate credit union’s
independent public accountant, the
supervisory committee must ensure that
engagement letters and/or any related
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
agreements with the independent public
accountant for services to be performed
under this section:
(A) Obligate the independent public
accountant to comply with the
requirements of paragraph (b) of this
section (including, but not limited to,
the notice of termination of services,
communications with the supervisory
committee, and notifications of peer
reviews and inspection reports); and
(B) Do not contain any limitation of
liability provisions that:
(1) Indemnify the independent public
accountant against claims made by third
parties;
(2) Hold harmless or release the
independent public accountant from
liability for claims or potential claims
that might be asserted by the client
corporate credit union, other than
claims for punitive damages; or
(3) Limit the remedies available to the
client corporate credit union.
(ii) Engagement letters may include
alternative dispute resolution
agreements and jury trial waiver
provisions provided that the letters do
not incorporate any limitation of
liability provisions set forth in
paragraph (e)(2)(i)(B) of this section.
(4) Outside counsel. The supervisory
committee of any corporate credit union
must, when deemed necessary by the
committee, have access to its own
outside counsel.
(e) Internal audit. A corporate credit
union with average daily assets in
excess of $400 million for the preceding
calendar year, or as ordered by NCUA,
must employ or contract, on a full- or
part-time basis, the services of an
internal auditor. The internal auditor’s
responsibilities will, at a minimum,
comply with the Standards and
Professional Practices of Internal
Auditing, as established by the Institute
of Internal Auditors. The internal
auditor will report directly to the chair
of the corporate credit union’s
supervisory committee, who may
delegate supervision of the internal
auditor’s daily activities to the chief
executive officer of the corporate credit
union. The internal auditor’s reports,
findings, and recommendations will be
in writing and presented to the
supervisory committee no less than
quarterly, and will be provided upon
request to the IPA and NCUA.
8. Revise the introductory text of
paragraph (a) of § 704.19 to read as
follows:
§ 704.19. Disclosure of executive and
director compensation.
(a) Annual disclosure. A corporate
credit union must annually prepare and
maintain a disclosure of the dollar
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
amount of compensation paid to its
most highly compensated employees,
including compensation from any
corporate CUSO in which the corporate
has invested or made a loan, in
accordance with the following schedule:
*
*
*
*
*
9. Add a new § 704.21 to read as
follows:
§ 704.21 Equitable distribution of
corporate credit union stabilization
expenses.
When the NCUA Board acts to assess
a premium on Federally-insured credit
unions for the Temporary Corporate
Credit Union Stabilization Fund
(TCCUSF):
(a) A corporate credit union must
immediately prepare a list of all its nonnatural person members on the date of
assessment that are not Federallyinsured credit unions (‘‘non-FICU
members’’), including the name of each
such non-FICU member, the assets of
each such non-FICU member as of the
end of the previous year, and the
address and contact information of each
such non-FICU member.
(b) Within 14 days after the date of the
assessment, the corporate credit union
must forward the list described in
paragraph (a) of this section to the
Office of Corporate Credit Unions. A
corporate credit union that has no nonFICU members must provide the Office
of Corporate Credit Unions with a
response indicating that it has no nonFICU members.
(c) Within 60 days after the date of
assessment, the NCUA Chief Financial
Officer will request each member on the
list described in paragraph (a) of this
section to make a voluntary payment to
the TCCUSF. The amount of the
requested payment will be the member’s
assets (as of the previous year-end)
times 0.815 times the percentage of
insured shares that NCUA assessed each
Federally-insured credit union. If the
member decides to make a payment, the
member must deliver the payment to
NCUA no later than 60 days after the
date of the NCUA Chief Financial
Officer’s request.
(d) If NCUA fails to receive a full,
timely payment of the amount requested
in paragraph (c) of this section, NCUA
will notify the corporate credit union of
the failure.
(e) No later than 90 days following
receipt of the notice in paragraph (d) of
this section, the corporate credit union
must call a special meeting of its
members to determine whether each
non-FICU member that failed to make
the full payment to the TCCUSF should
be expelled from the corporate credit
union. For a Federally-chartered
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
73013
corporate credit union, the expulsion
vote will be conducted in accordance
with section 118(a) of the Federal Credit
Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1764(a)) and the
bylaws of the corporate credit union.
For a State-chartered corporate credit
union, the expulsion vote will be
conducted in accordance with the
bylaws of the corporate credit union and
applicable State law. The corporate
credit union must notify the Office of
Corporate Credit Unions of the results of
the member vote no later than 14 days
following the date of the vote.
(f) If the corporate credit union’s
annual meeting falls within the
timeframe specified in paragraph (e) of
this section, the expulsion vote may be
conducted at the annual meeting instead
of a special meeting.
(g) For non-FICUs that belong to more
than one corporate credit union, NCUA
will request only one voluntary
payment from that non-FICU in
connection with each TCCUSF
assessment. If NCUA fails to receive a
full payment of the amount requested in
paragraph (c) of this section, however,
NCUA will notify all corporate credit
unions to which the non-FICU belongs
for purposes of conducting an expulsion
vote.
10. Add a new § 704.22 to read as
follows:
§ 704.22
Enterprise risk management.
(a) A corporate credit union must
develop and follow an enterprise risk
management policy.
(b) The board of directors of a
corporate credit union must establish an
enterprise risk management committee
(ERMC) responsible for the oversight of
the enterprise-wide risk management
practices of the corporate credit union.
The ERMC must report at least annually
to the board of directors.
(c) The ERMC must include at least
one independent risk management
expert. The risk management expert will
have post-graduate education; an
actuarial, accounting, economics,
financial, or legal background; and at
least five years experience in
identifying, assessing, and managing
risk exposures. The risk management
expert’s experience must also be
commensurate with the size of the
corporate credit union and the
complexity of its operations.
(d) An expert is independent if:
(1) He or she does not have any family
relationships or any material business or
professional relationships with the
corporate credit union that would affect
his or her independence as a committee
member, and
(2) He or she has not had any such
relationships for at least three years
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
73014
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 / Proposed Rules
preceding his or her appointment to the
committee.
(e) The risk management expert is not
required to be a director of the corporate
credit union.
11. Add a new § 704.23 to read as
follows:
§ 704.23
Membership fees.
(a) A corporate credit union may
charge its members a membership fee.
The fee may be one-time or periodic.
(b) The corporate credit union must
calculate the fee uniformly for all
members as a percentage of each
member’s assets, except that the
corporate credit union may reduce the
amount of the fee for members that have
contributed capital to the corporate.
Any reduction must be proportional to
the amount of the member’s
nondepleted contributed capital.
(c) The corporate credit union must
give its members at least six months
advance notice of any initial or new fee,
including terms and conditions, before
invoicing the fee. For a recurring fee, the
corporate credit union must also give
six months notice of any material
change to the terms and conditions of
the fee.
(d) The corporate credit union may
terminate the membership of any credit
union that fails to pay the fee in full
within 60 days of the invoice date.
PART 741—REQUIREMENTS FOR
INSURANCE
12. The authority citation for part 741
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1757, 1766(a), 1781–
1790, and 1790d; 31 U.S.C. 3717.
13. Add a new § 741.226 to read as
follows:
§ 741.226 Membership in one corporate
credit union.
Any credit union which is insured
pursuant to Title II of the Act must
adhere to the requirements stated in
§ 701.5 of this chapter.
[FR Doc. 2010–29546 Filed 11–26–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7535–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 61
Notice of Public Meeting: Updating the
Flight Instructor Renewal Process To
Enhance Safety of Flight
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:20 Nov 26, 2010
Jkt 223001
The FAA announces a public
meeting to receive industry input as to
how to improve the Certificated Flight
Instructor (CFI) biennial renewal
process to enhance the safety of flight in
the General Aviation (GA) community.
This is an information gathering
meeting.
DATES: The public meetings will be held
on the following dates.
• December 6, 2010, from 9 a.m. until
no later than 4 p.m., and
• December 7, 2010 from 9 p.m. until
no later than 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The December 6 and 7,
2010, public meetings will be held at
the FAA headquarters building B,
located at 600 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20591.
Because of limited capacity, we ask
that all those who anticipate attending
the meeting contact Gregory.french@
faa.gov with written confirmation of
attendance and the number of members
in the attending party. If we find that we
are nearing capacity, we may request
that those who are planning on sending
more than a single representative reduce
the number in their party. If this is the
case, respondents will be notified by
e-mail and/or phone prior to the
meeting date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests to attend this public meeting,
questions regarding the logistics of the
meeting, and any technical questions
should be directed to Inspector Gregory
French, AFS–800, General Aviation and
Commercial Division, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591;
telephone (202) 267–8212, facsimile
(202) 267–5094, or, preferably, via email at Gregory.french@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
The FAA has been reviewing safety of
flight data in the general aviation (GA)
community over the last ten years. Even
with the advent of new technologies to
assist the GA pilot, there has been little
improvement in the accident/incident
rate among that community of aviators.
CFIs are responsible for ensuring that
pilots are properly educated to operate
safely within the National Airspace
System (NAS). For CFIs to accomplish
that mission effectively they must be
provided the means and knowledge to
do so, and there must be some objective
method of measuring that information
transfer and retention. The FAA has
been reviewing indicators that suggest
that the processes currently in place
may lack sufficient effectiveness in
ensuring that CFIs are being provided
the best information in the most useful
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
manner. This meeting will elicit input
from the community of authorized flight
instructor renewal program operators so
that the FAA can better analyze how to
improve the process.
Purpose of the Public Meeting
The purpose of this public meeting is
for the FAA to hear the public’s views
and obtain information relevant to
improving the CFI biennial renewal
process. The FAA will consider
comments made at this public meeting
before making decisions on any
suggested changes to the current policy.
More specifically, the FAA seeks
information on the following questions.
The FAA requests that that all meeting
participants provide written comments
to support any positions they may
express support for, or disagreement
with.
• How effective have Flight Instructor
Refresher Clinics been in transferring
relevant information to flight
instructors?
• What can be done to improve the
effectiveness of flight instructor
refresher clinics?
• How effective are the written tests
provided at the conclusion of flight
instructor refresher clinics?
• How can the effectiveness of flight
instructor knowledge be better assessed?
• How effective have the online
courses been?
• How do we effectively measure the
success of knowledge transfer in online
flight instructor renewal courses?
• Should there be changes to 14 CFR
part 61.197?
• Are those non-FIRC methods of CFI
biennial certificate renewal found in 14
CFR part 61.197 adequate and effective
in ensuring that CFIs possess the most
up to date information in terms of both
proficiency and knowledge?
• What can the community
conducting flight instructor recurrent
training, the FIRC providers, do to
contribute to enhancing safety of flight
among the GA community at large?
Participation at the Public Meetings
Commenters who wish to present oral
statements at the December 6 and 7,
2010, public meetings will be permitted
to do so on an ad-hoc basis during the
meeting.
The FAA will have available a
projector and a computer capable of
accommodating Word and PowerPoint
presentations from a compact disk (CD)
or USB memory device. Persons
requiring any other kind of audiovisual
equipment should notify the FAA prior
to the meeting.
Sign and oral interpretation can be
made available at the meeting, as well
E:\FR\FM\29NOP1.SGM
29NOP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 228 (Monday, November 29, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 73000-73014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29546]
========================================================================
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2010 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 73000]]
NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION
12 CFR Parts 701, 704, and 741
RIN 3133-AD74
Corporate Credit Unions
AGENCY: National Credit Union Administration.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NCUA is issuing proposed amendments to its rule governing
corporate credit unions (corporates). The amendments include internal
control and reporting requirements for corporates similar to those
required for banks under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The amendments require each corporate to establish
an enterprise-wide risk management committee staffed with at least one
risk management expert. The amendments provide for the equitable
sharing of Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund (TCCUSF)
expenses among all members of corporates, including both credit union
and noncredit union members. The amendments increase the transparency
of decision-making by requiring that corporates conduct all board of
director votes as recorded votes and include the votes of individual
directors in the meeting minutes. The amendments permit corporates to
charge their members reasonable one-time or periodic membership fees as
necessary to facilitate retained earnings growth. For senior corporate
executives who are dual employees of corporate credit union service
organizations (CUSOs), the amendments require disclosure of certain
compensation received from the corporate CUSO. In addition, this
proposal would amend our regulations to limit natural person credit
unions (NPCUs) to membership in one corporate credit union at any
particular time and provide that a natural person credit union may not
make any investment in a corporate credit union of which the natural
person credit union is not also a member. These proposed amendments
will further strengthen individual corporates and the corporate system
as a whole.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 29, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods
(Please send comments by one method only):
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
NCUA Web site: https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/ProposedRegulations.aspx. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: Address to regcomments@ncua.gov. Include ``[Your name]
Comments on `Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Part 704--Corporate
Credit Unions' '' in the e-mail subject line.
Fax: (703) 518-6319. Use the subject line described above for e-
mail.
Mail: Address to Mary Rupp, Secretary of the Board, National Credit
Union Administration, 1775 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-
3428.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as mail address.
Public Inspection: All public comments are available on the
agency's Web site at https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/ProposedRegulations.aspx as submitted, except
as may not be possible for technical reasons. Public comments will not
be edited to remove any identifying or contact information. Paper
copies of comments may be inspected in NCUA's law library at 1775 Duke
Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, by appointment weekdays between 9
a.m. and 3 p.m. To make an appointment, call (703) 518-6546 or send an
e-mail to OGCMail@ncua.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacqueline Lussier, Staff Attorney,
Office of General Counsel; Elizabeth Wirick, Staff Attorney, Office of
General Counsel; and Lisa Henderson, Staff Attorney, Office of General
Counsel, at the address above or telephone (703) 518-6540; or David
Shetler, Deputy Director, Office of Corporate Credit Unions, at the
address above or telephone (703) 518-6640.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NCUA performs its mission of ensuring
the safety and soundness of Federally-insured credit unions by
examining all Federal credit unions, participating in the examination
and supervision of Federally-insured, State-chartered credit unions in
coordination with State regulators, and insuring Federally-insured
credit union members' accounts. In its statutory role as the
administrator of the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund
(NCUSIF), NCUA insures and supervises approximately 7,500 Federally-
insured credit unions (FICUs), representing 98 percent of all credit
unions and serving approximately 90 million members.
Corporate Credit Union System
A corporate credit union is an organization, chartered under the
Federal Credit Union Act (the Act) or under applicable State law as a
credit union that receives share deposits from and provides loan and
other services primarily to other credit unions. 12 CFR 704.2. There
are 26 retail corporates that provide services directly to NPCUs, and
there is one wholesale corporate, U.S. Central Bridge Federal Credit
Union (U.S. Central Bridge), that provides services to many of the 26
retail corporates. Fourteen retail corporates and U.S. Central Bridge
are Federally-chartered and 12 retail corporates are State-chartered.
Like NPCUs, corporates are member-owned cooperatives. However, at
corporates the member-owners are primarily NPCUs. Over 95 percent of
NPCUs belong to corporate credit unions. In addition, other entities
that are not Federally-insured credit unions (i.e., ``non FICUs'') also
may become members of corporates. These nonfederally-insured members
consist of nonfederally-insured credit unions \1\ and non credit union
entities. Non credit union entities include credit union leagues and
trade associations, CUSOs, certain banks, and other types of
organizations. These other organizations include, for example, credit
union political action committees, credit union charitable and
educational foundations, and law firms, insurance agencies, and
mortgage
[[Page 73001]]
companies that are connected to the credit union industry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Within the 50 states, approximately 152 state-chartered
credit unions have private, primary share insurance and are not
subject to NCUA regulation or oversight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The corporate system offers a broad range of support to its
members. The products and services provided by U.S. Central Bridge to
retail corporates, and by retail corporates to their members, include,
among other things: investment and deposit services, wire transfers,
share draft processing and imaging, automated clearinghouse (ACH)
transactions processing, automated teller machine (ATM) processing,
bill payment services, and security safekeeping. The volume of payment
systems-related transactions throughout the system annually runs into
the millions and the dollar amounts associated with those transactions
are in the billions each month. Corporates also serve as liquidity
providers for their members. An NPCU invests excess liquidity in a
corporate when the NPCU has lower loan demand and draws down the
invested liquidity when loan demand increases.
Some NPCUs depend heavily on corporates; for example, 75 percent of
NPCUs rely on a corporate as their primary settlement agent. Corporates
provide NPCUs with convenient and quality services and expertise, all
at a fair price. For many NPCUs, this is a combination that makes the
corporate system a valuable resource and, for some smaller NPCUs, an
essential resource.
Federally-chartered corporates are governed by Federal law and
State-chartered corporate credit unions by State law. In addition, all
corporates that are Federally insured, or that accept share deposits
from NPCU members that are Federally insured, must comply with NCUA's
part 704 corporate rule. 12 CFR 704.1, 12 U.S.C. 1766(a).
NCUA recently made substantial revisions to part 704 (with
conforming amendments to parts 702, 703, 709, and 747). Final Rule, 75
FR 64786 (October 20, 2010) (September Rulemaking). The most
significant amendments establish a new capital scheme, including risk-
based capital requirements; impose new prompt corrective action
requirements; place various new limits on corporate investments; impose
new asset-liability management controls; amend some corporate
governance provisions; and limit a corporate CUSO to categories of
services preapproved by NCUA. The preamble to the September Rulemaking
also stated that shortly after its promulgation the Board intended to
issue another proposal that would further amend Part 704 and related
provisions. Id. at 64824. This current proposal is the referenced
follow-on rulemaking.
These proposed amendments would:
(1) Increase the transparency of corporate credit union decision-
making by requiring corporates conduct all board of director votes as
recorded votes and include the votes of individual directors in the
meeting minutes;
(2) Incorporate certain sound audit, reporting, and audit committee
practices from the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act), Part 363 of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Regulations, and the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX);
(3) Provide for the equitable sharing of TCCUSF expenses among all
members of corporate credit unions, including both credit union and
noncredit union members, by establishing procedures for requesting
members not insured by the NCUSIF to make voluntary premium payments to
the TCCUSF;
(4) Protect against unnecessary competition between corporates by
limiting NPCUs to membership in one corporate of the NPCU's choice at
any one time and prohibiting an NPCU from making any investment in a
corporate where the NPCU is not also a member;
(5) Improve risk management at corporates by requiring corporates
to establish enterprise-wide risk management committees staffed with at
least one independent risk management expert;
(6) Provide corporates with more options to grow retained earnings
by allowing corporates to charge their members reasonable one-time or
periodic membership fees; and
(7) Require the disclosure of compensation received from a
corporate CUSO by certain highly compensated corporate credit union
executives.
These proposals are discussed in more detail below in the section-
by-section analysis.
Section-by-Section Analysis of Proposed Amendments
Section 701.5 Membership Limited to One Corporate Credit Union
In the recent past, some NPCUs ``rate shopped'' among corporates
for the highest deposit rates and lowest service costs. This rate
shopping resulted in increased competition and, in some cases, led to
unsafe investment activities as corporates sought higher investment
yields to subsidize share dividends and service costs.
Proposed Sec. 701.5 seeks to prevent unhealthy competition among
corporates by requiring Federal credit unions to make a decision to
commit to membership in one corporate at a time. The proposal provides
that a Federal credit union may belong to two corporates for a short
period of time, but only when transitioning between those corporates.
In addition, the proposal prohibits a Federal credit union from making
any investment, including a share or deposit account, a loan, or a
capital investment, in a corporate of which the Federal credit union is
not a member.\2\ This will avoid unhealthy competition among corporates
driven by rate shopping among nonmembers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ The FCU Act provisions generally authorizing such nonmember
transactions, such as 12 U.S.C. 1757(6) and 1757(7)(C), are
specifically subject to the regulation of the Board. 12 U.S.C. 1757
and 1782.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed Sec. 701.5 has prospective impact only. That is, credit
unions that are currently members of two or more corporates do not have
to relinquish memberships in any of those corporates. The Board
believes that the members of a credit union are owners of that credit
union, including the members of a corporate, and that ``once a member,
always a member.''
The Board also notes that Sec. 704.8(k) applies a 15 percent
investment limit to investments in a corporate made by a ``member or
nonmember credit union.'' This section does not authorize investments
by nonmembers, and, if the Board adopts Sec. 701.5(c) as proposed, it
is unlikely that a nonmember credit union would be able to make any
investments in a corporate where it is not already a member.
These same restrictions, through language added in new Sec.
741.226 of part 741, would apply to State-chartered Federally-insured
NPCUs as well as FCUs.
This proposal also contains the following changes to part 704.
Section 704.2 Definitions
The NCUA Board is proposing to add a number of new definitions to
Sec. 704.2 to assist in complying with the proposed revisions to Sec.
704.15 discussed below. The defined terms include: Critical accounting
policies, Enterprise risk management, Examination of internal control,
Family, Financial statements, Financial statement audit, Generally
accepted auditing standards, Independent public accountant, Internal
control, Internal control framework, Internal control over financial
reporting, and Supervisory committee.
The associated definitions come from a variety of sources,
including other sections of the NCUA Rules and Regulations, auditing
and accounting industry standards, and Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) rules. The Board requests comment on the
appropriateness of these definitions.
[[Page 73002]]
Section 704.11 Corporate Credit Union Service Organizations; Sec.
704.19 Disclosure of Executive and Director Compensation
The recently adopted revisions in the September Rulemaking require
that each corporate annually prepare, and provide to its members, a
document that discloses the compensation of certain employees. 12 CFR
704.19(a). An employee of a corporate may also, however, be an employee
of a corporate CUSO and receive additional compensation from the CUSO.
The dual employee's compensation disclosure under Sec. 704.19(a) would
be incomplete without a disclosure of both sources of compensation,
particularly where the employee's corporate has made a loan to, or
other investment in, that corporate CUSO and so has some control over
the CUSO.
The proposal amends Sec. 704.19 to clarify that for CUSOs in which
a corporate has invested, the corporate must include compensation
received from the CUSO in disclosures of compensation paid to the
corporate's most highly compensated employees. To facilitate this
disclosure, the proposal also amends Sec. 704.11(g), which lists
certain items with which a CUSO must agree in writing before a
corporate credit union may make a loan to or invest in the CUSO. The
amendment to Sec. 704.11(g) requires a corporate CUSO disclose
compensation paid to any employees that are also employees of a
corporate credit union lending to, or investing in, the CUSO. This
ensures that CUSOs will provide corporate credit unions the information
necessary for the corporate to make the full disclosure required by
Sec. 704.19.
The proposal applies only to corporate employees. It does not amend
or otherwise modify Sec. 704.11(f), which prohibits officials of
corporate credit unions which have invested in or loaned to a corporate
CUSO from receiving any compensation or other payments from the
corporate CUSO.
Section 704.13 Board Responsibilities
The proposal adds a new subparagraph (c)(8) to Sec. 704.13, Board
responsibilities, to require that all board of directors votes be
conducted by recorded votes.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The September Rulemaking redesignated the Board
Responsibilities section from Sec. 704.4 to Sec. 704.13.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The minutes reporting the vote must identify the board members, by
name, who voted for or against the proposal, as well as, if applicable,
the board members who were absent or otherwise failed to vote, and any
board members who abstained from voting. The Board believes this
provision is necessary so as to increase the transparency of corporate
board actions.
The corporate credit union system has confronted profound
challenges during the economic crisis of the past several years. Some
corporate credit unions made poor investment decisions, and these
decisions caused billions of dollars of losses. Unfortunately, the role
of individual directors in these decisions was not always clear because
the board secretary did not always record the votes of individual
directors in the minutes of the board meeting.
Corporate boards are likely to continue to face crucial decisions.
For example, the ongoing effects of the financial crisis may force some
corporates to confront critical restructuring questions in which the
interests of NPCUs utilizing different services of the corporate may
diverge. In these situations, members may need to know how each
director voted in addition to knowing the outcome of the vote.
Also, requiring recorded votes will help to ensure that corporate
directors comply with their obligation to recuse themselves from
deliberating and voting on items which may involve a conflict of
interest. Article XI, Sec. 2 of the Standard Corporate Federal Credit
Union Bylaws prohibits corporate insiders, including directors, from
participating ``in any manner, directly, or indirectly in the
deliberation upon or the determination of any question affecting his/
her pecuniary interest or the pecuniary interest of any corporation,
partnership, or association (other than the corporate credit union) in
which he/she is directly or indirectly interested.'' If a director is
disqualified because of a conflict, the director must withdraw from
deliberation and determination of the issue. Id. Under the bylaw, the
director has the obligation to identify issues that may pose a conflict
of interest and withdraw from deliberation and determination of these
issues. If, however, a director fails to self-identify or report a
potential conflict, it would be difficult to determine whether or how
the director voted on an issue without disclosure of votes on a
director-by-director basis. The accountability and transparency that
results from recording vote tallies by name will provide an important
backstop to the self-policing aspect of the corporate bylaw conflict-
of-interest provision.
NCUA's existing regulations provide some transparency to members,
but may not be sufficient absent a specific requirement to record votes
by name. For example, NCUA's regulations provide a process by which
members of credit unions, including members of corporate credit unions,
may inspect the credit union's books and records as well as minutes of
member, board, and committee meetings. 12 CFR 701.3(a). Members seeking
access to records must submit a petition signed by one percent of the
credit union's members; the petition must identify particular records
and state a purpose related to the protection of the members' financial
interest in the credit union. 12 CFR 701.3(b). Like the current
proposal, the rule providing for member access to records increases the
transparency of actions and decisions of the credit union's leadership.
If, however, the corporate credit union's records lack recorded votes
showing how each director voted on a particular issue, members would
not be able to get the director-by-director tally even after submitting
a petition.
There are multiple sources of authority for NCUA's proposed
amendment to paragraph 704.13(c). The Act grants NCUA broad authority
to require FICUs, including corporate credit unions, to submit
financial data and other information as required by the NCUA Board. 12
U.S.C. 1761, 1766, 1781, and 1789. Further, the Act authorizes the NCUA
Board to request additional information as it may require. 12 U.S.C.
1782(a)(2). NCUA's recommended standard procedures for corporate credit
union examinations include a review of minutes of the board of
directors' meetings or actions. NCUA Corporate Examination Procedures
Sec. 301P-004 (2003). Like the review of board minutes, the proposal
falls under NCUA's general powers to require both Federal credit unions
and Federally-insured State-chartered credit unions to prepare and
submit information in connection with insurance examinations.
Section 704.15 Audit and Reporting Requirements
Both NCUA and natural person credit unions rely upon financial
information to evaluate the condition of insured corporate credit
unions and to determine the adequacy of regulatory capital. Accurate
and reliable measurement of a corporate credit union's assets and
earnings has a direct bearing on the determination of regulatory
capital. Interested parties can place greater reliance on recognition,
measurement, and disclosures contained in financial statements that
have been subject to an independent audit. Independent audits help to
identify weaknesses in internal control
[[Page 73003]]
over financial reporting and risk management at corporate credit unions
and reinforce corrective measures, thus complementing supervisory
efforts in contributing to the safety and soundness of corporate credit
unions.
NCUA currently requires that a corporate credit union's board of
directors ensure the preparation of timely and accurate balance sheets,
income statements, and internal risk assessments and that systems are
audited periodically in accordance with industry standards. 12 CFR
704.4(c). In addition, a corporate credit union's supervisory committee
must ensure that: (1) An external audit is performed annually in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards; and (2) the
audit report is submitted to the board of directors, to NCUA, and in a
summary version, to the members. 12 CFR 704.15(a).
To facilitate early identification of problems in financial
management at corporate credit unions, the NCUA Board is proposing to
amend Sec. 704.15 to add certain additional auditing, reporting, and
supervisory committee requirements. The most significant proposed
revisions would require a corporate credit union to:
Ensure that its financial reports reflect all material correcting
adjustments necessary to conform with generally accepted accounting
principles (GAAP) that were identified by the corporate credit union's
independent public accountant (IPA).
Prepare an annual management report, signed by the chief executive
officer and the chief accounting officer or chief financial officer,
that contains: (1) A statement of management's responsibility for
preparing financial statements, responsibility for establishing and
maintaining an adequate internal control structure, responsibility for
procedures for financial reporting, and responsibility for complying
with laws and regulations relating to safety and soundness designated
by NCUA; (2) an assessment of the corporate credit union's compliance
with such laws and regulations; and (3) for a corporate with assets of
at least $1 billion, an assessment of the effectiveness of the internal
control structure and procedures over financial reporting, including
identifying the internal control framework used to evaluate such
internal control.
Ensure that its IPA: (1) Reports on a timely basis to the
supervisory committee all critical accounting policies, alternative
accounting practices discussed with management, and written
communications provided to management; (2) retains the working papers
related to an audit and, if applicable, the evaluation of the corporate
credit union's internal control over financial reporting, for seven
years from the report release date; (3) complies with the independence
standards and interpretations of the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA); (4) has, prior to beginning any services
for a corporate, a peer review that meets acceptable audit industry
guidelines; (5) notifies NCUA if the IPA ceases being a corporate
credit union's independent accountant; and (6) for a corporate with
assets of at least $1 billion, reports separately to the supervisory
committee on management's assertions concerning the effectiveness of
the corporate credit union's internal control structure and procedures
for financial reporting.
Ensure that its supervisory committee (1) consists of members who
are not employees of the corporate credit union; (2) supervises the
IPA; and (3) ensures that audit engagement letters do not contain
unsafe and unsound limitation of liability provisions.
NCUA has based many of these proposed revisions on part 363 of the
FDIC's Rules, 12 CFR part 363. The FDIC has provided guidance, found in
Appendices A and B to part 363, to assist managements of banks and
thrifts in complying with a number of part 363 requirements. The NCUA
Board has determined not to issue similar formal guidance in
conjunction with the proposed revisions to part 704.
The NCUA Board also notes that part 363 only applies to banks and
thrifts with assets of at least $500 million. In contrast, most of
these proposed provisions to part 704 would apply to all corporate
credit unions, even those smaller corporates with under $500 million in
assets.\4\ The Board believes that because corporates provide services
to NPCUs, smaller corporate credit unions may present systemic risks
that smaller banks and thrifts do not. The Board requests comment,
however, on whether certain of the proposed provisions should apply
only to corporate credit unions with assets above a certain threshold.
Commenters should specify which provisions and what the asset threshold
or thresholds should be.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ A few provisions in proposed 704.15 would apply only to
corporates with assets of at least $1 billion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph 704.15(a) Annual Reporting Requirements
704.15(a)(1) Audited Financial Statements
Proposed paragraph (a)(1) restates the existing requirement that a
corporate credit union prepare audited financial statements that
conform with GAAP. To facilitate a more accurate picture of a corporate
credit union's financial condition, the proposal also adds the
requirement that the annual financial statements reflect all material
correcting adjustments identified by the IPA as necessary to conform
with GAAP.
704.15(a)(2) Management Report
Proposed paragraph (a)(2) requires the management of a corporate
prepare an annual report that contains certain enumerated elements.
The Board is concerned that management in some corporate credit
unions may have insufficient oversight over certain reporting, control,
and compliance functions. The Board believes that requiring management
to acknowledge its responsibilities in these areas will help the
corporate credit union identify needed improvements in financial
management. Accordingly, proposed paragraph (a)(2)(i) requires
management reports contain a statement of management's responsibilities
for preparing the corporate credit union's annual financial statements,
for establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure
and procedures for financial reporting, and for complying with certain
laws and regulations relating to safety and soundness.
The proposed rule identifies the following five safety and
soundness areas about which the NCUA Board is concerned: affiliate
transactions, legal lending limits, loans to insiders, restrictions on
capital and share dividends, and regulatory reporting that meets full
and fair disclosure. When the FDIC issued a proposed rule implementing
new audit, reporting, and internal control requirements for certain
banks and thrifts, see 12 CFR part 363, it identified these five areas
as presenting the greatest risks. See 57 FR 42516, Sept. 15, 1992.\5\
Corporate credit unions are structured differently from banks, however,
and the Board seeks comment on whether the five identified areas are
appropriate. The Board also seeks comment on whether the final
regulation should specify the laws and rules and regulations covered by
[[Page 73004]]
proposed paragraph (a)(2), such as section 107(5)(A)(iv) and (v) of the
Federal Credit Union Act, 12 U.S.C. 1757(5)(A)(iv) and (v), governing
loans to directors and committee members, and Sec. 704.7, governing
corporate credit union lending.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Ultimately, the FDIC limited its compliance concerns to laws
and regulations concerning insider lending and dividend
restrictions. See 58 FR 31332, June 2, 1993.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed paragraph (a)(2)(ii) requires management assess and report
on the corporate credit union's compliance with those designated safety
and soundness laws and regulations. This assessment requirement
reinforces the importance of management's responsibility for complying
with the rules by requiring disclosure of instances of noncompliance.
Management should perform its own investigation and review of
compliance with the rules and maintain records of its assessments until
the next NCUA examination or such later date as specified by NCUA.
The NCUA Board has determined that corporate credit unions with $1
billion or more in total assets present additional risks. Accordingly,
proposed paragraph (a)(2)(iii) requires these larger corporate credit
unions include in their management reports an assessment of the
effectiveness of the internal control structure over financial
reporting. Management must identify the internal control framework used
to make its evaluation, include a statement that the evaluation
included controls over the preparation of financial statements and
regulatory reports, include a statement as to management's conclusion
regarding the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting, and disclose all material weaknesses identified by
management. Management may not conclude that internal control over
financial reporting is effective if there are any material weaknesses.
A suitable control framework is one established by a body of
experts following widespread opportunity for comment, including the
broad distribution of the framework for public comment. A framework is
suitable only when it:
Is free from bias;
Permits reasonably consistent qualitative and quantitative
measurements of a corporate credit union's internal control over
financial reporting;
Is sufficiently complete so that those relevant factors
that would alter a conclusion about the effectiveness of a corporate
credit union's internal control over financial reporting are not
omitted; and
Is relevant to an evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting.
The Internal Control--Integrated Framework published by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the
``COSO Report'') provides a suitable and recognized framework for
purposes of a management assessment in the United States. Other
suitable frameworks have been published in other countries, and still
others may be developed in the future. Such other suitable frameworks
may be used by management and the corporate credit union's IPA in
assessments, attestations, and audits of internal control over
financial reporting.
704.15(a)(3) Management Report Signatures
To ensure that management understands its ultimate responsibility
for the corporate credit union's performance, proposed paragraph (a)(3)
requires the chief executive officer and either the chief accounting
officer or chief financial officer of the corporate credit union to
sign the management report.
704.15(b)(1) Annual Audit of Financial Statements
Proposed paragraph (b) sets forth the requirements applicable to
the corporate's IPA. Proposed paragraph (b)(1) clarifies the existing
requirement that a corporate credit union have its annual financial
statements audited by an IPA in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards. The IPA should be registered or licensed to
practice as a public accountant, and be in good standing, under the
laws of the State or other political subdivision of the United States
in which the home office of the corporate credit union is located.
704.15(b)(2) Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Proposed paragraph (b)(2) requires an IPA who audits a corporate
credit union with assets of at least $1 billion attest to management's
assertions concerning the effectiveness of the corporate credit union's
internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. To
ensure that an attestation report is sufficiently informative, the
report must:
Identify the internal control framework that the IPA used
to make the evaluation (which must be the same as the internal control
framework used by management);
Include a statement that the IPA's evaluation included
controls over the preparation of regulatory financial statements;
Include a clear statement as to the IPA's conclusion
regarding the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting;
Disclose all material weaknesses identified by the IPA
that have not been remediated;
Conclude that internal control is ineffective if there are
any material weaknesses; and
Be dated by the IPA on or after the date of management's
report on its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting.
704.15(b)(3) Notice by Accountant of Termination of Services
In the interests of safety and soundness, and to ensure that NCUA
is aware of potential conflicts between a corporate credit union and
its IPA, proposed paragraph (b)(3) requires an IPA to notify NCUA if
the IPA terminates work as the corporate credit union's auditor. The
IPA's notice of termination under (b)(3) is similar to the notice of
termination in proposed paragraph (c)(4) that the corporate credit
union must provide to both NCUA and the IPA. In its (b)(3) notice, the
IPA must state whether the IPA agrees with the corporate credit union's
assertions contained in the (c)(4) notice and whether the IPA agrees
that the (c)(4) notice discloses all relevant reasons for the IPA's
termination.
704.15(b)(4) Communications With Supervisory Committee
The Board believes that communications between a corporate credit
union's supervisory committee and its auditor are critical to proper
oversight of the auditing function. Accordingly, proposed paragraph
(b)(4) establishes certain communication requirements between the
auditor and the committee. Under the proposal, an IPA must inform the
supervisory committee on a timely basis about: (1) All critical
accounting policies, (2) alternative accounting treatments discussed
with management, and (3) written communications provided to management,
such as a management letter or schedule of unadjusted differences.
These requirements are minimum requirements--other communications
beyond these requirements are encouraged.
704.15(b)(5) Retention of Working Papers
Consistent with best industry practices, proposed paragraph (b)(5)
requires an IPA to retain the working papers related to its audit of a
corporate credit union's financial statements for at least seven years.
If the IPA has conducted an evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, the IPA must also retain those working papers for
at least seven years.
[[Page 73005]]
704.15(b)(6) Independence
Proposed paragraph (b)(6) codifies existing industry self-
governance requirements that auditors comply with the independence
standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA).
704.15(b)(7) Peer Reviews
Proposed paragraph (b)(7) codifies existing industry self-
governance requirements that auditors undergo periodic peer reviews.
The proposal clarifies that acceptable peer reviews include those
performed in accordance with the AICPA's Peer Review Standards and
inspections conducted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(PCAOB). This paragraph also requires a corporate credit union's IPA to
file a copy of the peer review report, or the public portion of the
PCAOB inspection report, with NCUA.
704.15(c)(1) Annual Reporting
Proposed paragraph 704.15(c) sets forth various reporting, filing,
and notice requirements. The current regulation is silent on when a
corporate credit union must provide a copy of its annual report to
NCUA. To ensure timely filing and provide consistent application of the
requirement, proposed paragraph (c)(1) provides that a corporate credit
union must file a copy of its annual report to NCUA within 180 days
after the end of the calendar year. The report must contain the audited
financial statements, the IPA's report on those statements, a
management report, and, if applicable, the IPA's attestation report on
management's assessment of internal control over financial reporting.
704.15(c)(2) Public Availability
Proposed paragraph (c)(2) provides that NCUA will make a corporate
credit union's annual report available for public inspection.
704.15(c)(3) IPA's Reports
Consistent with good corporate governance, proposed paragraph
(c)(3) requires a corporate credit union to provide NCUA with a copy of
any management letter or report issued by its IPA. The proposal
includes examples of the types of reports covered.
704.15(c)(4) Notice of Engagement or Change of Accountants
In the interests of safety and soundness, and as discussed above,
proposed paragraph (c)(4) requires a corporate to inform NCUA when the
credit union engages an IPA or loses an IPA through dismissal or
resignation. The corporate must include with the notice a reasonably
detailed statement of the reasons for any dismissal or resignation. The
corporate must send a copy of the (c)(4) notice required to the IPA
when the notice is filed with NCUA.
704.15(c)(5) Notification of Late Filing
Proposed paragraph (c)(5) requires the corporate provide a notice
to NCUA of late filing of the annual report. The notice must specify
the reasons for the inability to comply with the 180-day requirement
and must also state the date by which the report will be filed.
704.15(c)(6) Report to Members
Paragraph (a) of the current Sec. 704.15 requires a corporate
credit union to submit a summary of its annual report to the
membership. Recognizing that a corporate credit union may not have
completed its annual report at the time of the annual meeting, proposed
paragraph (c)(6) substitutes the word ``preliminary'' for ``summary.''
704.15(d)(1) Composition
Proposed paragraph 704.15(d) deals with the corporate's supervisory
committee. Proposed paragraph (d)(1) discusses the composition of the
supervisory committee, stating that its members may not be employees of
the corporate credit union and must be independent of the corporate
credit union. The employment prohibition codifies Article X, Section 1,
of the Corporate Federal Credit Union Bylaws for all corporates. The
NCUA Board believes that in the interests of sound governance this
prohibition should be applied to all corporates.
The Board further believes that to avoid potential conflicts of
interest, supervisory committee members should be independent of the
corporate. Under the proposal, a committee member is independent if he
or she does not have any family relationships or material business or
professional relationships with the corporate credit union and has been
free of such relationships for at least three years.
704.15(d)(2) Duties
As a general matter, the supervisory committee should perform all
the duties required of it under the corporate's bylaws as determined by
the corporate's board of directors. Proposed paragraph (d)(2) clarifies
that the committee is also responsible for the appointment,
compensation, and oversight of the IPA, and for reviewing with
management and the IPA the basis for audit reports.
As the SEC noted when it adopted its final rule implementing a
similar provision regarding the audit committees of public companies,
the auditing process may be compromised if a company's outside auditors
incorrectly view their primary responsibility as serving the company's
management rather than the company's full board of directors or audit
committee. See 68 FR 18787, 18796, Apr. 16, 2003. The SEC went on to
state that auditors may view management as the ``employer'' if
management has the power to hire, fire, and set compensation and that
under these circumstances the auditor may not have the appropriate
incentive to raise concerns and conduct an objective review. Id. The
SEC concluded that one way to promote auditor independence was for the
auditor to be hired, evaluated, and, if necessary, terminated by the
audit committee. Id. The NCUA Board believes it is critical that
accountants who perform audit and attestation services for corporates
have an appropriate incentive to conduct an objective review and
identify potential concerns. In this regard, the Board believes it is a
sound governance practice for a corporate's supervisory committee,
rather than its management, to be responsible for the appointment,
compensation, and oversight of the accountant.
704.15(d)(3) IPA Engagement Letters
In response to an observed increase in the types and frequency of
provisions in financial institutions' external audit engagement letters
that limit the auditors' liability, in February 2006 the Federal
financial institution regulatory agencies, including NCUA, issued an
Interagency Advisory on the Unsafe and Unsound Use of Limitation of
Liability Provisions in External Audit Engagement Letters (Interagency
Advisory).\6\ The Advisory states that such provisions may weaken the
external auditors' objectivity, impartiality, and performance, which in
turn may reduce the reliability of audits and consequently raise safety
and soundness concerns. The agencies stated that a financial
institution should not enter into any agreement that incorporates
limitation of liability provisions with respect to audits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ 27 FR 6847, Feb. 9, 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since a central purpose of this proposal is to increase the
reliability of audits, proposed paragraph (d)(3)(i)(B) requires the
supervisory committee ensure that audit engagement letters and any
related agreements with the IPA for services to be performed under part
704 do not contain certain limitation of liability provisions.
Prohibited provisions include any language that
[[Page 73006]]
indemnifies the IPA against claims made by third parties; holds
harmless or release the IPA from liability for claims or potential
claims that might be asserted by the client corporate credit union,
other than claims for punitive damages; or limits the remedies
available to the client corporate credit union. Consistent with the
Interagency Advisory, the proposal does not preclude the use of
alternative dispute resolution agreements and jury trial waivers.
704.15(d)(4) Outside Counsel
Proposed paragraph (d)(4) provides that the supervisory committee
must, when deemed necessary by the committee, have access to its own
outside counsel. All counsel retained by a corporate, regardless of who
at the corporate retained the counsel, owe the same fiduciary duties,
that is, to provide advice in the best interests of the membership.
Accordingly, in most circumstances the Board expects the supervisory
committee, when seeking legal advice, would employ the services of the
in-house counsel or other counsel under contract to the corporate. The
Board believes, however, that in the interest of safety and soundness
the supervisory committee must be able to retain counsel at its
discretion without prior permission of the board of directors or
management, particularly when the committee perceives that the in-house
counsel or other counsel under contract to the corporate may be unable
to provide unbiased advice.
704.15(e) Internal Audit
Paragraph (e) restates the internal audit requirements in the
current paragraph (b).
704.21 Equitable Distribution of Corporate Credit Union Stabilization
Expenses
Some of the recent corporate investment losses were absorbed
directly by the members of the corporates in the form of capital
depletion. Much of these losses, however, were absorbed by the NCUSIF
as it made capital injections and launched liquidity and share
guarantee programs designed to stabilize the corporate system and
protect the system from collapse. The corporate losses absorbed by the
NCUSIF--and subsequently transferred from the NCUSIF to the TCCUSF in
June of 2009 and 2010--will be paid by all FICUs in the form of premium
assessments now and over the next several years. The stabilization
actions taken by NCUA to protect the corporate system benefitted every
member of every corporate, both FICU and non FICU.\7\ Without NCUA's
stabilization actions, the entire corporate system would have been in
danger of collapse. NCUA's actions protected both FICUs and non FICUs
from potential losses in their uninsured shares and from other
potential problems, such as interruptions in their payment systems.
Unfortunately, however, not all corporate members have assumed their
fair share of the expense of NCUA's corporate stabilization actions. In
particular, non FICU members have not paid, and likely will not pay in
the future without some encouragement, their fair share of the expenses
associated with NCUA's stabilization actions. Accordingly, and as
discussed below, this proposal seeks to encourage existing non FICU
members to pay their fair share of such expenses.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ The term ``non FICU'' includes every corporate member that
is not insured by the NCUSIF. Trade associations, CUSOs, non credit
union cooperatives, banks, insurance companies, and privately
insured credit unions are examples of entities that might be members
of certain corporates and fall within the term ``non FICU.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The proposal adds a new Sec. 704.21, Equitable Distribution of
Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Expenses, to provide for the
equitable sharing of TCCUSF expenses among all members of corporate
credit unions. Proposed Sec. 704.21 provides that when the NCUA Board
assesses a TCCUSF premium on FICUs, NCUA will request existing non FICU
members make voluntary payments to the TCCUSF. It requires that when
the NCUA Board imposes a TCCUSF premium assessment on FICUs, a
corporate credit union must furnish to NCUA information about all its
non FICU members. NCUA will then request each of these non FICU members
to make a voluntary premium payment to the TCCUSF in an amount
calculated as a percentage of the non FICU member's previous year-end
assets.\8\ In the event one or more of these non FICUs declines to make
the requested payment, or makes a payment in an amount less than
requested, the proposal requires the corporate conduct a member vote on
whether to expel that non FICU. A paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown of
Sec. 704.21 follows.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ See 12 U.S.C. 1772a (authority of NCUA to accept gifts for
carrying out any of its functions under the Act); and 12 U.S.C.
1789.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the Board acts to assess a premium on FICUs, paragraph (a)
provides that each corporate credit union must prepare a list of all
its members on the date of the assessment that are non FICUs, including
the name and assets of each such member, with the address and contact
information for each such member. The assets of the non FICUs will be
determined as of the previous year-end. The corporate should collect
information from the member to support this asset calculation, such as
an annual financial statement. If the member will not provide this
information to the corporate, the corporate should simply make its best
estimate of the asset size and inform NCUA of the basis for the
estimate.
Paragraph (b) provides that within 14 days after the date of the
assessment on FICUs, the corporate credit union must send the list of
non FICU members to the NCUA Office of Corporate Credit Unions. A
corporate that has no non FICU members must provide the Office of
Corporate Credit Unions with a statement to that effect.
Paragraph (c) provides that within 60 days after the date of
assessment on FICUs, the NCUA Chief Financial Officer will request each
non FICU to make a voluntary payment to the TCCUSF. The amount of the
requested payment will be the entity's assets times 0.815 times the
percentage of insured shares that each FICU was assessed. The payment
must be received by NCUA within 60 days after the date of the Chief
Financial Officer's request.
NCUA determined the 0.815 factor by using the ratio of total
aggregate FICU insured shares to aggregate FICU assets. NCUA calculated
these ratios for year-end 2008 (ratio = 0.810) \9\ and year-end 2009
(ratio = 0.819) \10\ and then averaged the two ratios to obtain the
factor 0.815. Accordingly, multiplying a non FICU's assets by 0.815
produces an amount approximating the entity's ``insured shares'' as if
the entity were a Federally-insured credit union.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ 2008: total shares $658.9 billion; total assets $813.4
billion. https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/Reports/statistics/Yearend2008.pdf (page 1, footnote 3).
\10\ 2009: total shares $724.8 billion; total assets $884.8
billion. https://www.ncua.gov/Resources/Reports/statistics/Yearend2009.pdf (page 1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph (d) provides that if NCUA does not receive a full, timely
payment of the TCCUSF contribution requested, NCUA will notify the
corporate credit union of the failure. Paragraph (e) requires that no
later than 90 days after receipt of the notice from NCUA, the corporate
must call a special meeting of its members to determine whether each
member that failed to make the full payment should be expelled from the
corporate credit union. For Federally-chartered corporates, the
expulsion vote will be conducted in accordance with Sec. 118(a) of the
Act, which provides that a member may be expelled by a two-thirds vote
of the members present at a special meeting called for that purpose,
[[Page 73007]]
but only after an opportunity has been given to the member to be heard.
12 U.S.C. 1764(a); see Article III, Sec. 5 of the Standard Federal
Corporate Credit Union Bylaws. For State-chartered corporates, the
expulsion vote will be conducted in accordance with the bylaws of the
corporate and applicable State law.
Paragraph (f) permits the corporate to conduct the expulsion vote
at an annual meeting, if that would coincide with the date of any
special meeting called under paragraph (e).
Paragraph (g) provides that for non FICUs that belong to more than
one corporate, NCUA will request only one voluntary payment from that
non FICU in connection with each TCCUSF assessment. If NCUA does not
receive full payment of the amount requested, however, NCUA will notify
all corporates to which the non FICU belongs for purposes of conducting
an expulsion vote.
As should be clear from the language of proposed Sec. 704.21, NCUA
does not ultimately make the determination of whether a non FICU should
make a payment to the TCCUSF or the amount of the payment. The non FICU
makes that determination. NCUA also does not make the determination of
the adequacy of any payment. The members of the affected corporate make
that determination when deciding whether or not to expel the non FICU
member. It is these corporate members, and particularly the FICU
corporate members, that have a vested financial interest in whether or
not non FICU members are contributing equitably to cover losses in the
corporate credit union system.
The Board does not intend at this time to apply Sec. 704.21
retroactively. Section 704.21 would only apply to TCCUSF assessments
made following the effective date of any final rule.
704.22 Enterprise Risk Management
Sound risk management is an integral part of running a corporate
credit union, and corporates need to strengthen their enterprise risk
management. A well-designed enterprise risk management process can help
a corporate by providing a framework within which the board of
directors and senior management can determine:
Where all the corporate's risk exposures lie;
The amount of risk the corporate has in each exposure and
the maximum levels it is willing to accept;
How the risk exposures are changing; and
The appropriate risk controls to limit overall risk to
targeted levels.
Accordingly, this proposal adds a new Sec. 704.22, Enterprise Risk
Management. This section requires corporates to develop and follow an
enterprise risk management policy (paragraph (a)). The board of
directors must establish an enterprise risk management committee that
is responsible for overseeing the corporate's risk management practices
and must report at least annually to the board of directors (paragraph
(b)). The committee must include at least one independent risk
management expert with sufficient experience in identifying, assessing,
and managing risk exposures (paragraph (c)).
The proposal defines independent to mean that the expert does not
have any family relationships or any material business or professional
relationships with the corporate that would affect his or her
independence as a committee member, and has been free of any such
relationships for at least three years (paragraph (d)). The risk
management expert will have post-graduate education; an actuarial,
accounting, economics, financial, or legal background; and at least
five years experience in identifying, assessing, and managing risk
exposures. The expert's experience must also be commensurate with the
size of the corporate and the complexity of its operations. Proposed
paragraph 704.22(e) clarifies that the risk management expert is not
required to be a director of the corporate credit union. The board must
hire this individual from outside the corporate.
Proposed paragraph 704.15(a)(2)(iii) requires management of a
corporate with assets of at least $1 billion assess the effectiveness
of the corporate's internal control structure and procedures for
financial reporting. Proposed paragraph 704.15(a)(3) requires the
corporate's managers to sign the report. The Board requests comment on
whether NCUA should add a corresponding requirement that management
assess the effectiveness of the corporate's enterprise risk reporting
and that the senior risk management official sign the management
report.
704.23 Membership Fees
This proposal adds a new Sec. 704.23, Membership Fees, permitting
corporates the option of charging their members, as a mandatory
requirement of membership, reasonable one-time or periodic membership
fees. The fees must generally be proportional to the member's asset
size, and a member must be given at least six months notice of any new
fees, or any material change to an existing fee. Furthermore, a
corporate can terminate the membership of any credit union that fails
to pay the fee fully and on time.
The September Rulemaking requires corporates to achieve certain
minimum capital ratios, including, over time, certain minimum retained
earnings ratios. NCUA is proposing this amendment to provide corporates
with additional options in building up their retained earnings. Unlike
a capital contribution, which will not flow to retained earnings, a
membership fee flows directly to a corporate's retained earnings.
Paragraph (a) states that a corporate may charge its members a
membership fee. The fees may be assessed on a periodic basis or as a
one-time fee.
Paragraph (b) provides that the corporate must calculate the fee
uniformly for all members and as a percentage of each member's assets.
However, the corporate has the discretion to reduce the amount of the
fee for members that have contributed capital to the corporate. Any
such reduction must be proportional to the amount of the member's non-
depleted contributed capital. Calculating the fee as a percentage of
each member's assets is fairer to smaller natural person credit unions
than a one-size-fits-all fee. In addition, NCUA wishes to give
corporates the flexibility to reduce the size of the fee for those
members that are contributing more capital to the corporate.
Paragraph (c) requires a corporate to give its members a minimum of
six months notice of any new fee, including disclosure of its terms and
conditions, before invoicing the fee. For a recurring fee, the
corporate must also provide six months notice of any material change to
the terms and condition of the fee. Corporate members should be given
adequate time to look for alternatives to membership in the corporate
should they find the fees too onerous. The Board believes that six
months to find an alternative service provider should be appropriate.
Paragraph (d) permits a corporate to terminate the membership of
any credit union that fails to pay the fee in full within 60 days of
the invoice date. The Board believes this is a reasonable amount of
time, given the advance notice required by paragraph (c).
Comment Period
The Board is putting this proposal out for a 30-day comment period
in lieu of the standard 60-day comment period. The proposed rule is
straightforward in its operation, and so does not require extensive
time to consider. In addition, the Board desires, as much as possible,
to coordinate the effective date of this
[[Page 73008]]
rulemaking with the effective dates of the September Rulemaking.
Regulatory Procedures
Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires NCUA to prepare an analysis
to describe any significant economic impact any proposed regulation may
have on a substantial number of small entities (those under $10 million
in assets). For the most part, the proposal applies only to corporate
credit unions, all of which have assets well in excess of $10 million.
The one provision that applies directly to natural person credit
unions, which generally limits membership in one corporate at a time,
will not affect many small credit unions because they generally do not
belong to multiple corporates. Accordingly, the proposed amendments
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of
small credit unions and, therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis
is not required.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) applies to rulemakings in
which an agency by rule creates a new paperwork burden on regulated
entities or modifies an existing burden. 44 U.S.C. 3507(d); 5 CFR part
1320. For purposes of the PRA, a paperwork burden may take the form of
a reporting, recordkeeping, or disclosure requirement, each referred to
as an information collection.
The proposed changes to part 704 in this proposal impose new
information collection requirements. As required by the PRA, NCUA is
submitting a copy of this proposal to OMB for its review and approval.
Persons interested in submitting comments with respect to the
information collection aspects of the proposed rule should submit them
to OMB at the address noted below.
Estimated PRA Burden
The following discussion describes the new information collection
requirements in the proposal:
1. Recorded director votes.
Proposed Sec. 704.13(c)(8) revises existing Sec. 704.13(c), Board
responsibilities, to require corporates to conduct all board of
directors votes by recorded vote, such that the minutes reporting the
vote list the board members (by name) voting for or against the
proposal, as well as, if applicable, board members who were absent or
otherwise failed to vote, and board members who abstained from the
vote. Proposed paragraph (c)(8) would apply to all 27 corporates. NCUA
estimates that compliance with the requirement to record all board
votes and to include the votes of each director by name in the minutes
will take about one hour. Corporates are required to hold a minimum of
twelve meetings each year. 27 corporates x 12 meetings = 324 meetings
per year. 324 meetings x 1 hour = 324 hours.
2. Equitable distribution of corporate credit union stabilization
fund expenses.
When the NCUA Board assesses a premium on FICUs for the TCCUSF in
accordance with proposed Sec. 704.21, NCUA will ask current non FICU
members of corporates to make voluntary contributions to the TCCUSF.
Proposed Sec. 704.21(e) requires a corporate hold an expulsion vote if
a non FICU member does not make the requested payment. These provisions
would apply to all 27 corporates. NCUA estimates that the NCUA Board
may assess a premium on FICUs for the TCCUSF about once each year for
the next several years.
Proposed paragraphs (a) and (b) of Sec. 704.21 state that when a
TCCUSF premium is assessed on FICUs, a corporate must immediately
prepare a list of all its members that are non FICUs, including the
name and asset size of each such member as of the end of the previous
year, and the address and contact information of each such member, and
forward the list to NCUA. NCUA estimates that it should take each
corporate approximately 20 hours to collect the information, prepare
the list, and submit the list to NCUA. 27 corporates x 20 hours = 540
hours.
Proposed paragraph (e) of Sec. 704.21 provides that following
receipt of a notice of non-payment from NCUA, the corporate must call a
special meeting of its members to determine whether each non FICU
member that failed to make the full payment to the TCCUSF should be
expelled from membership in the corporate. The corporate must notify
NCUA of the result of the member vote. NCUA estimates that
approximately 27 corporates will be required to conduct a member vote
on expulsion once each year. NCUA estimates the preparation and mailing
of notices and ballots (if paper ballots are used), the collection of
ballots (if paper ballots are used), and notifying NCUA of the result
of the vote will take about 25 hours. 27 corporates x 25 hours = 675
hours.
3. Disclosure of dual employee compensation from corporate CUSOs.
The amendment to Sec. 704.11 requires that each corporate CUSO
disclose compensation of dual employees to the corporate credit unions
that make loans to, or invest in, the CUSO. NCUA est